MaxLinear and advanced RF electronics and antenna systems provider, ProBrand International (PBI), will be providing mass production quantities of digital satellite low-noise block down-converters LNBs to Telefónica. PBI's digital LNBs feature an integrated digital channel stacking switch (dCSS) that enables multiple satellite television channels to be carried over a single co-axial cable, which simplifies installation and lowers deployment costs.
The LNBs also utilize a common hardware design with programmable software that enables Telefónica to customize the frequency plan based on the unique needs of each country in which it operates. Telefónica is one of the first major satellite operators to leverage the benefits of dCSS technology across its global footprint of satellite networks. The dCSS LNBs are currently being deployed in Brazil and Colombia, while other markets are due to begin deployments in 2018.
The Telefónica digital LNBs utilize MaxLinear’s market-leading satellite RF and channel-stacking technology, including:
- MxL801 – industry's first satellite RF down-converter IC fabricated in digital CMOS technology
- MxL862 – industry's first satellite channel stacking IC with programmable filters that can stack up to 32 channels on a single coax cable
The MaxLinear chipset can deliver 24 dynamic user bands to the connected home, interfacing with existing (EN50494) and new (EN50607) standards for home gateway and PVR technologies, taking the capacity well beyond the four-channel SCR technology currently used. In the fixed frequency single cable environment, such as MDUs, PBI’s digital LNBs can be programmed over-the-air or on-site with its programming tool and GUI to any transponder (up to 32) plan.
ProBrand has been leading the industry with its compact low power designs integrating multiple satellites and frequency bands to a single-cable environment. Its highly automated state-of-the-art factory was specifically designed and built to manufacture and test high-volume digital LNBs. The company’s patent-pending design brings lower cost dCSS LNBs to the mass-market serving the growing need to deliver TV content to multiple tuners/PVR in the home.
