Get Chooses Cisco IP Next-Generation Network for Interactive Broadband and Web 2.0 Services

Cisco® announced today that Get, the Norwegian cable operator, is using Cisco IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) technology to upgrade its network to support accelerating broadband traffic growth driven by next-generation entertainment, communications and collaboration services. Get is the second major cable operator in Europe to deploy Cisco EuroDOCSIS 3.0 downstream channel-bonding technology and the upgrade is helping Get to achieve a technological lead in the broadband services market in Scandinavia.

Get is updating its headends by replacing existing hardware with Cisco uBR10012 Universal Broadband Router Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS), which incorporate EuroDOCSIS 3.0 downstream channel-bonding technology to boost capacity of the existing cable network. The upgrade supports the delivery of broadband services to 380,000 homes in Norway and makes it possible for Get to develop a rich bundle of advanced services that combine video, data and voice over a single ultra-high bandwidth* broadband connection.

Get first demonstrated the capabilities of downstream channel-bonding technology last November and evaluated a number of solutions before choosing Cisco. Rolf Bive, chief technology officer of Get, explained: “This investment is strategic to our business because broadband traffic both up- and downstream, together with consumer and content supplier demands, will continue to grow at phenomenal rates. Our consumers embrace new services such as HDTV, on-demand video, and share video content through video blogging and via online services such as YouTube. We found Cisco to have the most comprehensive technology roadmap to support the new EuroDOCSIS 3.0 standard and this will help us develop our network to deliver maximum benefit to our customers.”

Jorgen Myrland, general manager of Cisco Norway said: “The region enjoys some of the highest levels of broadband penetration in Europe and continuous service innovation is key to growing market share. Through the ongoing optimisation of its network, Get can offer its customers a superior experience for multimedia entertainment and future Web 2.0 applications and services.”

The industry-leading Cisco uBR10012 CMTS is supplied with a shared port adapter (SPA) and SPA interface processor to support downstream channel-bonding, defined in the CableLabs® DOCSIS® 3.0 specification, to logically combine several radio frequency (RF) channels to achieve theoretical broadband data rates in excess of hundreds of megabits per second*.

* The maximum performance is derived from standards specifications. Actual performance will be less, based on network capacity, data throughput rate, range, environmental and local conditions and coverage. Performance depends on many factors, conditions and variables, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, operating system used, interference and other adverse conditions.

About GET
Get is Norway’s leading digital-tv- and broadband provider and has today Norway’s largest network to private customers after Telenor. Get offers Norway’s broadest selection of digital-tv channels (over 90), in addition to 20 analogue tv channels and about 40 digital- and analogue radio channels. Get also delivers one of the country’s fastest broadband connections (26 Mbps) and delivers broadband telephony with quality of service. Get is owned by the European investment company Candover.

About Cisco Systems
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Cisco news and information are available at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.