TI's Voice Over Cable Gateway Includes WiFi

MADRID, Spain — Texas Instruments has started sampling a voice-over-cable gateway platform that combines voice, data and Wi-Fi in a single design.

Dubbed the TNETC731, the reference design supports all the PacketCable 1.5 requirements, including primary line VoIP.

Based round the company’s Puma-3 DOCSIS chip, the design integrates a 460x cable modem SoC, voice DSP with the 1350A 802.11b/g silicon and access point driver.

It is targeted at home networks and Fred Zimmerman, executive director CPE VoIP solutions at TI’s packet voice and video business unit says several major gateway makers are already designing parts using the kit.

The DOCSIS2.0 compliant cable interface supports rates of up to 38Mbit/s downstream and ad 30Mbit/s upstream.The voice element is enabled through traditional phones or single/dual mode VoIP phones. Software updates will allow support for future fixed-mobile converged devices.

Speaking at the Broadband World Forum here, Zimmerman said the design kit will allow TI to extend its lead as the largest supplier of ICs for VoCable applications.