News Releases
RCN Corporation Speeds Its March to All-Digital With BigBand Networks' Digital Simulcast Solution
BigBand BMR Platform Enables Rapid Expansion of HD and SD Lineups
December 2, 2008
REDWOOD CITY, CA--(MARKET
WIRE)--Dec 2, 2008 -- BigBand Networks, Inc. (NasdaqGM:BBND - News), a leader
in digital video networking, today announced that RCN Corporation
(NasdaqGS:RCNI - News), a leading provider of all-digital television,
high-capacity data, and voice services to residential, business customers and
service providers, has selected the BigBand Broadband Multimedia-Service Router
1200 (BMRŽ) for its digital television simulcast deployments in RCN's Boston,
Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
metro area markets.
"BigBand's BMR platform
enables us to convert to an all-digital environment, reclaiming our analog
spectrum to free up bandwidth, so we can provide our customers with an exciting
expansion of quality programming content," said Rick Swiderski, Vice
President of Engineering with RCN. "We selected the BigBand BMR because
the platform is reliable, scalable and easy-to-use, and because of BigBand's
track record of world-class field engineering support and swift
deployments."
RCN's conversion to an
all-digital network enables RCN to improve the picture quality, make the
network easier to maintain, and dramatically increase the number of Standard
Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) channels it can offer to subscribers.
The conversion, dubbed "Analog Crush (SM)," will allow RCN to offer
its customers over 300 SD channels and 75 HD channels initially, in addition to
a more robust line-up of international content and on-demand titles.
"The BigBand BMR is one
of the most widely-deployed, versatile digital video networking platforms in
the world and its selection by customers such as RCN underscores the platform's
reliability," said David Heard, BigBand's Chief Operating Officer.
"Being able to help our customers quickly reclaim analog bandwidth, and
stay ahead of the competition by rapidly expanding their service offerings, is
a huge asset."
The BigBand BMR1200 is a
robust platform designed from the ground up to be carrier-class and offer five
9's availability. It is field-proven, having been deployed by over 200 service
providers worldwide, in over 4,000 installations. It is designed to support a
variety of applications including digital simulcast, digital TV management,
digital ad insertion, HDTV and switched digital video. Offering a rich array of
bandwidth management functionality, it can help speed the migration from
broadcast to content personalization.
About BigBand Networks
BigBand Networks, Inc.
(NasdaqGM:BBND - News) provides broadband service providers with innovative
network solutions designed to make it easier to move, manage and monetize
video. These solutions are based on BigBand's video networking platforms that
are built to enable efficient and reliable delivery across a wide range of
services, including digital TV, high definition TV, advanced advertising,
video-on-demand and interactive TV. BigBand Networks' customers include more
than 200 service providers -- including six of the ten largest service
providers in the
About RCN Corporation
RCN Corporation,
http://www.rcn.com, is a facilities-based, competitive broadband telecommunications
services provider delivering video, high-speed data and voice services to
residential and small-medium business customers under the brand names of RCN
and RCN Business Services, respectively. In addition, through the RCN Metro
Optical Networks business unit, RCN delivers fiber-based high-capacity data
transport services to large commercial customers, primarily large enterprises
and carriers, targeting the metropolitan central business districts in the
company's geographic markets. RCN's primary service areas include
BMR and other BigBand
Networks' brand and product names are service marks, trademarks or registered
trademarks of BigBand Networks, Inc. in the
This release contains
"forward-looking statements" as defined under the U.S. Federal
Securities Laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
and is subject to the safe harbors created by such laws. Forward-looking
statements may relate to, but are not limited to the functionality, programming
potential and other potential benefits to be derived by RCN or other customers
from the use of the BigBand's digital simulcast or Broadband Multimedia-service
Router (BMR) product, forward-looking statements are based on current
expectations that involve a number of uncertainties and risks that may cause
actual events or results to differ materially. Factors that could cause actual
events or results to differ materially include, among others, the following:
rapid technological change that can adversely affect the demand for BigBand's
products, including the BMR, design flaws in BigBand's digital simulcast
solution, shifts in customer demand, shifts in strategic relationships, delays
in BigBand's ability to deliver or decisions to discontinue its products and
services, or announcements by competitors. These and other risks may be
detailed from time to time in BigBand's periodic reports filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, copies of which may be obtained from www.sec.gov.
BigBand Networks is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such
obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information contained in
our website is not incorporated by reference in, or made part of this press
release.