Broadcom is one of the leading chip manufacturing companies and it believes in connecting everything. Started in 1991 it has grown tremendously and has offered various solutions to simplify the future. We talked to Rajiv Kapur, Managing Director, Broadcom India, about the present offerings of the company and what they have in store for the Indian market.

Q. Broadcom was founded in 1991, how has been the journey so far?
Broadcom has grown from a two-man team working out of a garage with $5,000 in cash to a semiconductor powerhouse with $8.315 billion revenue in 2013. Today Broadcom is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors solutions for wired and wireless communications. We have a very diverse portfolio of technologies, and the secret to our success is our broad IP portfolio, deep investments in R&D, world-class engineering team and a culture of innovating the future.

Q. What is the idea behind the mantra of the company – connecting everything?
Since Broadcom was founded, our mission has always been ‘Connecting everything’. Today we estimate that 99.98% of Internet traffic crosses at least one Broadcom chip–at work, home and on the go. From automotive to appliances, bandwidth to backhaul, GPS to GPON, processors to power-line, set-top box to small cells, wearables to Wi-Fi, Broadcom will continue to revolutionize the communications industry.

Q. How has the response been to the set-top boxes in the Indian market?
Broadcom has played a role in India’s transition from analog to digital television, and continues to successfully focus on the set-top box market in the region. There is growth in the Pay TV market in India, which we continue to design and innovate for, while we also support the more mature direct-to-home market.

Q. How is the Indian market different from the other markets when it comes to adoption of new technologies?
While India is sometimes referred to as a cost-sensitive market, I see it as a value-seeking market. Consumers of all kinds want increased features and services that will enhance their lives, and will subscribe to services where they seek higher value. As a result, Broadcom intensely works with Pay TV operators in India to innovate and engineer the latest technology into STBs in India. This is also a differentiator for operators, who are seeking to retain current customers and increase subscribership.

Q. Tell us something about Broadcom’s BCM7252 Ultra HD SoC?
Broadcom’s BCM7252 is part of our next-generation 28nm family of devices for worldwide Pay TV offerings. The chip includes the latest compression standard called HEVC, which delivers HD content more efficiently and also supports 4Kp60 or UltraHD content. Other enhancements include integrating HDMI 2.0, the 10-bit color standard to provide a superior experience on the large 4K TVs, 4kp60 or 60 frames per second technology for lifelike movement, especially in live action, and more. This is a powerful processor that supports a wide variety of applications from Broadcom and our partner companies.

Q. How do you think you are better than the others in the business?
Broadcom differentiates itself from others in the market with innovation and focus on R&D. We are constantly challenging ourselves to improve performance, power, integration and new application features. On all these dimensions offer an advanced silicon platform for our customers. Our portfolio diversity across connectivity choices allows us to invest heavily in integration, inter-operability and convergence of solutions and services, something everyone values.

Q. How did the Videocon DTH and Tata Sky deal happen?
We work closely with many operators in India. We have been collaborating with Videocon and Tata to expand their portfolio and service offerings. A few public announcements have been made by us to date that should give you an idea about this partnership.

Q. How is Broadcom simplifying the chip solution for set-top boxes?
As the leaders in STB SoCs globally, we have a very diverse and mature IP portfolio (hardware and software) that is a key asset for us. We then build targeted solutions for performance and price by engineering chips for emerging market needs. These have unparalleled integration on a single silicon die, bringing various benefits like simplicity of board design, lower cost etc. As an example, we can build the equivalent of a 4 tuner STB with 1 silicon; which is far ahead of what our competition can offer. We also invest in end market fully ready hardware and software turnkey solutions which reduce effort, time to market and costs for our customers. Since we invest in India R&D, we are able conduct in-country tests and provide our decades of experience to our customers. This helps both small and large Indian companies working on local designs in the manufacturing sector.

 Q. Will you be partnering with any operator for the Indian market?
We collaborate with many operators in India for DTH, cable, and IPTV offerings, a number of which we have announced in press releases. That should give you a feeler for our relationships that span broadband, Wi-Fi, STB and other related solutions for Pay TV operators in India.

Q. What are your future plans for the Indian market?
While our portfolio is currently complete, fully available and deployed, we will continue to invest in the new technology to help operators and subscribers benefit from their STB/TV investments. Do look out for more demos and announcements from us on this front. For DTH, we see a move towards hybrid STB offerings starting, so this is exciting and a focus area for us. A small fraction of India is ready for higher end home gateways that can be used for multi-screen services. Broadband is a big and growing focus for us and our customers.