Networking and telecom equipment manufacturer Cisco has joined hands with Virgin Media to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 technology to deliver high speed Internet services on the company’s existing network infrastructure.

The company said that in a trial in East London, Virgin Media achieved broadband speeds of 1.5 Gigabytes (Gb) by using Cisco’s (3G60) Broadband Processing Engine, a high-density, cost-effective line card for Cisco’s flagship uBR10K Universal Broadband Router and Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS).

Cisco said, an important component of Cisco’s DOCSIS 3.0 offering, the highly scalable 3G60 line card enables cable television operators to offer IP video services.

Cisco’s Cisco Universal Broadband Router together with the 3G60 line card supports the full set of DOCSIS 3.0 features at scale, including IPv6, and supports advanced features such as dynamic bandwidth sharing, said the company.

Cisco added that by using the 3G60, a single Cisco Universal Broadband Router can support up to 576 downstream and 480 upstream channels per chassis. This is the highest CMTS capacity and density in the industry, claims Cisco.

Cisco Cable Access Business Unit vice-president and general manager Mark Palazzo said, "Cisco CMTS solutions are designed to support large-scale IP broadband and video services today — as well as the migration to IP networks in the near future."