Motorola Expands European Cable Infrastructure Portfolio, Deploys New Nodes and Amplifiers with Virgin Media

COLOGNE, Germany – ANGA Cable 2011 – - Motorola Mobility, Inc. today introduced additions to its European hybrid fibre coax (HFC) network portfolio, demonstrating the company’s continued innovation in evolutionary HFC network solutions that address key operator issues. These solutions include Gallium Nitride (GaN)-enabled nodes and amplifiers that extend the reach of any N+x architecture and high-performance electro absorption optical transmitter solutions that are designed to enable the simple and economical evolution of operators’ networks.

Motorola’s new European form factor nodes and amplifiers include the MPN100 modular pedestal node, the Mini Bridger Node (MBN) and the MBV3 and broadband line extender (BLE) amplifiers – all of which incorporate GaN technology which delivers 3 dB gain or twice the increase in performance compared to competitive solutions. By introducing GaN enabled nodes and amps into their network operators can avoid costly re-spacing of amplifiers when adding new subscribers, or in greenfield situations reach distances further from the headend. Virgin Media is the first customer in Europe to deploy these new solutions from Motorola.

Virgin Media is also utilizing Motorola’s new GX2-EA1000 series of transmitters which includes the 1550nm - the industry’s first multi-wavelength transmitter which directly integrates electro absorption. The Motorola EA1000 suite satisfies various applications such as full band loading of analog and digital content as well as fiber deep multi-wavelength of mixed analog and digital content or digital only. By multiplexing EA1000 transmitters with different wavelengths onto a single fiber, operators can segment nodes in the network up to eight times with distances of up to 30 km. Smaller segments can allow for 40 km and even 60 km distances. This enables operators to add more subscribers to existing infrastructure without the need to lay additional fiber.

Daniel Hennessy, executive director of technical strategy and architecture at Virgin Media said, "Continuing to evolve our HFC access network underpins Virgin Media’s market-leading entertainment and communication services. We looked hard at the market place for a next generation amplifier and it quickly became clear that Motorola has an excellent portfolio in this space. Against a range of demanding timescales, Motorola stepped up with a family of advanced amplifier products that provide the right support for our network as consumer demand for next generation digital services continues to grow.”

“The innovations we are rolling out with Virgin Media speak to our ability to create products that make a difference to our customers by addressing key challenges within their network evolution strategies.” said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Network Infrastructure, Motorola Mobility. “Motorola Mobility’s deep understanding of the HFC network environment is a key asset to our business. Today’s announcement with Virgin Media speaks to Motorola’s proven capability in designing and deploying truly innovative evolutionary network solutions.”

Motorola’s GX2 EA1000, MPN100 and MBN nodes, and MBV3 and BLE amplifiers are available today for operators in Europe.

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.