Cisco Plugs ‘SuperQAM’ Module Into CCAP Plan

Cisco Systems has expanded the optical horizons of its Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP) with the Prisma SuperQAM XFP Transmitter module, an XFP Transmitter module for its flagship Prisma II optical video platform.

The module will allow operators to double the density of their current Prisma II chassis – from 16 transmitters to 32 transmitters -- while reducing power consumption by half, Cisco said. The Prisma II enables MSOs to tap their existing hybrid fiber/coax network to deliver multiple IP video streams, Cisco said.

The module is also made to plug into the physical interface card (PIC) in Cisco’s next-gen Terabit CCAP product, dubbed the cBR-8.

Cisco said the new modules are undergoing trials with “several major global service provider customers”

“Our Prisma XFP Transmitter module is a future-safe investment that can be used for Cisco’s flagship Primsa II optical portfolio today, as well as for our next-gen terabit CCAP solutions,” said Brett Wingo, VP and GM of Cisco’s Cable Access Business Unit. “The CableLabs CCAP specification calls out an optical interface option – and this is what we are fulfilling ahead of the game. Customers will be able to use the same XFP transmitter in the Prisma II chassis, remove it and plug it directly into the cBR-8.”

Cisco said it will demo the Prisma II and offer private showings of the cBR-8 to MSO customers at this week’s SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Atlanta. The company will also show off Videoscape Unity, its cloud-enabled multiscreen platform, its service provider Wi-Fi portfolio, and a cable-tailored version of its Cisco Prime IP network management system.