These new chipsets could speed up the spread of gigabit Internet

Chipset vendors such as Broadcom and STMicroelectronics have launched products that’ll make it possible to offer gigabit speeds over fiber as well as over copper and cable networks. Broadband operators are already offering gigabit speeds over fiber, but the development of new technologies will help make super fast broadband networks more common during the next couple of years. STMicroelectronics (ST) this week announced its DOCSIS 3.1 chipset, code-named Barcelona, which goes into home cable modems and gateways. DOCSIS 3.1 will enable higher speeds at a larger scale and more cost effectively, which could help convince cable companies to roll out faster networks. It’s difficult to predict what speeds users will end up getting, but the maximum capacity is 10G bps downstream and 1G bps upstream. Barcelona, or STiD325, is currently available in small numbers to some of ST’s larger customers, according to the company, which didn’t say when the first products based on it would arrive. However, Comcast revealed two weeks ago it would at least start testing DOCSIS 3.1 during the fourth quarter. Company CEO Brian Roberts said the technology “will be a quantum leap forward” during its second-quarter earnings conference call.