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Motorola Sizes up China for Broadband
Motorola Monday announced plans to explore China's broadband access market by utilizing the country's cable TV network to provide broadband Internet services.
The firm joined hands with domestic software maker Powerise to provide Internet services for China's 90 million cable TV subscribers.
"China is one of the biggest cable TV markets. (The country's) subscriber numbers represent one-third of the world's total," said Chang Jian, an official with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
The market is also experiencing significant growth, with 5 million new subscribers per year, Chang revealed.
A far-reaching cable network is one of the best devices to provide broadband Internet access, which requires thick cables for the rapid transfer or large amounts of information.
According to Chang, the only work needed to make the network suitable for Internet use is to replace present one-way cables with two-way cables so that subscribers can both send information and receive it.
Turning the TV cable network into a broadband Internet network will better utilize already existent resources, Chang said.
K.Y.Chan, president of Motorola's broadband communications division, said the company will finish outfitting the networks with two-way cables within two years.
China's cable TV subscribers who choose to pay for the new service will soon be able to access the Internet at speeds reaching 30 mbps (million bits per second) for downloads and 1 mbps for uploads.
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