Harmonic Doubles QAM Shipments in 2011


SAN JOSE, CA—Harmonic has shipped more than 2 million QAMs to cable service providers worldwide, doubling the number of QAMs shipped since the company passed the one million mark in August 2010. Harmonic's edgeQAM technology powers premium services for more than an estimated 70 million cable subscribers worldwide, including video-on-demand (VOD), broadcast, switched digital video (SDV), modular cable modem termination system (M-CMTS) and cable IPTV services. Harmonic's NSG edgeQAMs have been deployed by 18 of the 20 largest MSOs in the United States, as well as Tier-1 MSOs in Europe and Asia.

"It took ten years to ship our first million QAMs, and just over one year to reach the second million," said Gil Katz, vice president of cable solutions at Harmonic. "As demand for more bandwidth increases, cable operators are seeking out Harmonic's proven, high-performance technology and extensive deployment experience to power their critical services. Our solutions provide operators with unparalleled density in easy-to-operate edge devices, lowering operating expenses while enabling a range of vital services."


"The edgeQAM market is growing as cable operators scramble to deliver more advanced video services to subscribers," said Alan Breznick, a senior analyst at Heavy Reading. "So it's not that surprising that cable bandwidth doubles every two years. But it is impressive that Harmonic doubled its QAM shipments in a much shorter period of time."

Harmonic's latest-generation edgeQAM, NSG 9000 HectoQAM, is the first universal edgeQAM solution to deliver up to 648 QAMs per two-rack unit chassis, according to the companay. In addition to its high density, the HectoQAM incorporates technologies that significantly improve efficiency and ease of operation, including Harmonic's EQAM Virtualization software technology and frequency agility for flexible placement of QAMs across the spectrum. The Harmonic NSG platform was originally introduced in 2000 as the world's first edgeQAM. Its successive generations are in use by hundreds of operators worldwide.