Cisco develops video-centric Internet router

Cisco has introduced a new Internet data router that triples the speed of its predecessor. The company said the router is fast enough to enable every man, woman and child in China to simultaneously make a video call or for every motion picture ever created to be streamed in less than four minutes.

Cisco’s new CRS-3 platform, which will ship later this year, offers a throughput of up to 322Tb/s. John Chambers, Cisco’s chairman and CEO, cited new video applications, such as IPTV and 3D, as a big driver of Internet growth and as the impetus to create such a robust routing platform like the CRS-3.

The company has invested $1.6 billion to date in its CRS product line, and almost 5000 CRS-1 units have been deployed.

”Video is not just the killer app, it enables new business models,” said Chambers. He predicted that within a few years, consumers will use up to 15TB of data per month, the equivalent of 3750 DVDs.