MaxLinear Inc., a leading provider of RF and mixed-signal integrated circuits for cable and satellite broadband communications, the connected home, data center, metro, long-haul fiber networks and wireless infrastructure, announced the MxL3710, the world’s first fully integrated circuit (IC) to support the multi-gigabit Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA®) 2.5 standard that provides at least 2.5 Gbps of aggregate MAC throughput.

The need for faster networking speeds is driven by the demand for gigabit internet service to support key subscriber trends including a growing number of connected devices, streaming of over-the-top 4K video, the use of cloud storage, and mobile data off-loading. Operators are investing in their network infrastructure to bring 1Gbps and higher data-rate services to home subscribers. This in turn creates the enormous challenge of distributing the received multi-gigabit WAN data bandwidth seamlessly throughout the home. MoCA 2.5 addresses the critical need of matching the capacity and reliability of in-home LAN networks to that of the WAN, thus eliminating bottlenecks to high speed data distribution inside the home.

With MaxLinear’s MxL3710 MoCA 2.5 solution, service providers can create a reliable wired backbone LAN using the home’s existing coax cables. By incorporating the MxL3710 into operator, customer premise equipment such as broadband home gateway devices, are now capable of delivering multi-gigabit bandwidth to every part of the home over existing coaxial cable wiring.

The MxL3710 provides 2.5 Gbps of MAC throughput over a 16-node home network consisting of other MoCA 2.5 devices. Additionally, the MxL3710 has an enhanced mode that enables it to achieve up to 3.0 Gbps of throughput when communicating with other MxL3710 nodes in the same network. The MxL3710 is backward interoperable with any MoCA 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 standards compliant devices, ensuring seamless integration into existing MoCA home networks.

“Given the recent ratification of the MoCA 2.5 standard, the Multimedia over Coax Alliance is delighted to see MaxLinear set the pace with its MoCA 2.5 offering. Service providers around the world have asked the Alliance to quickly develop multi-gigabit MoCA-based solutions and MaxLinear has delivered,” said Charlie Cerino, President of MoCA. 

“The MxL3710 is the culmination of our pioneering effort and years of commitment to the MoCA market,” said Will Torgerson, MaxLinear Vice President & General Manager of Broadband Group. “MaxLinear is excited to be the first in the world to offer a multi-gigabit MoCA solution. As internet speeds and usage increase over time, the MxL3710 is well positioned to enable service providers to future proof their in-home network and offer virtually unconstrained throughput around the entire home, with the superior reliability and performance that operators have come to expect from MaxLinear’s MoCA solutions.”

MxL3710 Technical Details

The MxL3710 is a complete MoCA 2.5 system solution in a single chip. It contains an integrated RF power amplifier (PA), Tx/Rx switch functionality, low-noise amplifier (LNA), Full-Spectrum Capture™ (FSC™) analog-digital converter (ADC), MoCA PHY and MAC. Supported interfaces within the MxL3710 family include 2.5G SGMII and PCIe v2.1 (MxL3711). For MoCA adapters, a host-less version of the chip is also available to provide the lowest possible bill-of-material cost.

Available in an 8 mm x 8 mm QFN package, the MxL3710 is pin-compatible to MaxLinear’s recently announced MoCA 2.0 bonded IC, the MxL3705, which delivers up to 1.2 Gbps of MAC throughput.  Pin compatibility allows original equipment manufacturers to easily upgrade their existing MxL3705 designs for higher performance 2.5 Gbps applications.

For more information, please visit www.maxlinear.com.