CABLE WORLD STAFF

Cogeco Cable Inc. will use Cisco Systems Inc.'s broadband routers and integrated modem cards to deliver Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS)-compliant high-speed Internet access services to its 804,000-subscriber base in Canada.

Cogeco will first launch the service to about 265,000 customers in Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Niagara Falls and Peterborough.

The Cogeco-Cisco relationship has been ongoing, according to Paul Bosco, Cisco's cable products and services general manager.

"I think a big piece of the news is that there's been little news that's come up; it's run rather smoothly," Bosco reported.

The system has given both companies and the industry at large an opportunity to prove out DOCSIS theories in real-world applications, Bosco continued.

"We've actually seen unexpected robustness in the DOCSIS solution," he said. "And with the modem vendors, Samsung (Telecommunications America Inc.) and Sony (Electronics Corp.) soon, this has been a rollout that I think has gone fairly well."