May 20, 1996
Motorola Inc. - Multimedia Group and Microprocessor and Memory Technologies Group today announced modem and microprocessor technology support at an Oracle press conference for the Network Computer. Motorola's CyberSURFR cable modem and PowerPC microprocessor will provide essential communications and compute technology for this new easy-to-use, low-cost computing device based upon open Internet standards.
Today Motorola joined with Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Netscape, IBM and other industry leaders to define a reference profile for standard Internet appliances for communications and commerce. The reference profile will ensure compatibility among this new class of Internet devices.
Motorola's CyberSURFR cable modem initially will connect to the NC through a standard 10-BaseT interface. In the future, CyberSURFR modems might be integrated into the NC to provide high-speed, low-cost access to Internet terminals. Furthermore, Motorola's highly scalable PowerPC microprocessors will be used for both the low-cost NC, as well as in high-end Internet servers. The combination of these high-speed modems and powerful microprocessors provides the required foundation for high-performance delivery of Internet-based multimedia data to NC users.
"Motorola is the first broad-based semiconductor manufacturer to support the NC," said Barry Waite, senior vice president and general manager, Motorola Microprocessor and Memory and Technologies Group. "Motorola's broad portfolio of semiconductors, coupled with its strength in manufacturing, technologically advanced design and worldwide marketing support enable NC designers to create compelling differentiated Internet solutions," he said.
"The NC has been the subject of considerable industry discussion over the past year, and this formation of technology leaders will lead the way in making this concept a reality," said James M. Phillips, corporate vice president, Motorola Inc. " With hundreds of times the bandwidth of today's standard modem, the CyberSURFR cable modem will bring the NC to life."
Mr. Phillips added: "Integrating the CyberSURFR cable modem into a low-cost NC will enable Motorola to serve the remaining 65% of the population that does not currently own personal computers."
The PowerPC product family is a line of microprocessors used today in a wide variety of systems including high end servers, high performance workstations, popular desktop computers, notebook computers, PDA's and high volume consumer devices.
The highly scalable PowerPC microprocessor family is planned to provide the required features needed for a typical set of NC devices which could include: PDA's, web terminals, ISDN video phones, pagers, and set-top boxes.
The robust PowerPC microprocessor family continues to push microprocessor performance ever faster with cost-effective compute solutions. PowerPC microprocessors raised the performance mark for the industry once again last week with the introduction and demonstration of the new 200 MHZ PowerPC 603e microprocessor, the first 200 MHZ volume desktop microprocessor available.
The CyberSURFR cable modem is part of Motorola's CableComm family of products. The CyberSURFR modem connects subscriber personal computers to the HFC system and is specifically designed for high-speed communications for on-line services, Internet access, telecommuting and other emerging services for home and business PC users. The modem offers speeds of up to 30 Mbps in the downstream path and up to 768 Kbps in the upstream path. Motorola's Cable Router is installed in the network headend where it interfaces the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network to local or remote IP networks.
To date, Motorola has delivered CableComm units for voice over cable, CyberSURFR cable data modems, and related infrastructure products to Time Warner, TeleCommunications Inc. (TCI), Comcast Corporation, Optus Vision, Shaw Communications, Generale des Eaux, Videotron and two RBOCs. The telephony and high-speed data communication infrastructure equipment shipped to date is enough to support hundreds of thousands of broadband cable network subscribers. Motorola has shipped additional systems to other cable operators and telephone operating companies for trials currently being conducted throughout the U.S. and international markets.
With 1995 worldwide sales of $8.5 billion, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector is the largest U.S.-based broad line supplier of semiconductor solutions. Motorola's Multimedia Group, a unit of the Messaging, Information & Media Sector, develops, manufactures, and markets systems for the convergence of voice, video and data communications over advanced multimedia platforms. Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of wireless communications and electronic equipment, systems, components and services for worldwide markets. Products include two-way radios, pagers, personal communications systems, cellular telephones and systems, semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial electronics, computers, data communications and information processing and handling equipment. Sales in 1995 were $27 billion.