The event and introduction of a number of new cable community entry applied sciences, extending from the headend into the house, has moved at a outstanding tempo over the previous few years. This speedy tempo of innovation has been pushed by growing shopper calls for positioned on present networks—and the ensuing rush to supply multi-gigabit per second companies to the house—together with the expansion of different entry community applied sciences like fiber to the house (FTTH). As such, the sheer variety of selections for optimizing and evolving cable networks could seem daunting. Subsequently, many cable operators might use 2024 as a possibility to step again, take a deep breath and assess how their present and future community wants align with the abundance of options which are obtainable now and might be sooner or later.
Whereas game-changing, revolutionary community applied sciences akin to Distributed Entry Structure (DAA) and Node PON stay viable choices for a lot of cable operators, others are primarily enthusiastic about optimizing their present community belongings to offer elevated speeds and capacities in a cheap method. Additionally it is anticipated that next-generation Prolonged Spectrum DOCSIS® (ESD), Full Duplex DOCSIS (FDX) and Unified DOCSIS 4.0 community options will proceed to realize traction with cable operators in 2024. The aim, as ever, is 10G. The first query for cable operators in 2024 might be when and the way they are going to get there.
There are two normal solutions to this query. The extra conservative strategy is optimizing current DOCSIS 3.1 community belongings to maximise their capability and throughput speeds. This strategy allows cable operators to supply shoppers premium, high-tier companies whereas minimizing capital expenditures and disruptions to the community. However, some cable operators might be enthusiastic about evolving their present DOCSIS 3.1 community belongings for DOCSIS 4.0 operation. This extra aggressive strategy will contain qualifying and deploying new DOCSIS 4.0 tools within the headend and out of doors plant. Within the quick time period, this evolutionary strategy would require extra capital sources, however will bear fruit past 2024 because the developed community operates with full DOCSIS 4.0 speeds and capacities.
Regardless of the various and diversified applied sciences obtainable to cable operators, this text focuses on three options for optimizing and evolving cable networks that may probably generate important curiosity within the trade in 2024.
Optimizing Present DOCSIS 3.1 Networks
After the massive uptick in bandwidth consumption throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when many individuals have been working and attending college from dwelling, bandwidth consumption has since reverted to the imply—on this case roughly 18 p.c compounded annual progress in downstream and 20 p.c compounded annual progress within the upstream. On the identical time, with 89 p.c of houses and companies getting access to gigabit companies,[1] these companies are clearly the brand new norm.
On this aggressive surroundings, cable operators should proceed to optimize and evolve their networks to maintain tempo. Actually, the first benefit of DOCSIS 4.0 over DOCSIS 3.1 is expanded spectrums/bandwidths and the concurrent enhance in community capability. DOCSIS 3.1 vegetation working at 1.2 GHz within the downstream and 204 MHz within the upstream have sometimes had restricted velocity tiers obtainable to houses due to the restrictions of DOCSIS 3.1 CPE chipsets. These chipsets may solely bond as much as two OFDM channel blocks and 32 single-carrier QAMS (SC-QAMs) within the downstream.
Because of developments in DOCSIS 3.1 CPE chipsets, nevertheless, next-generation DOCSIS 3.1 CPE gadgets can help bonding of as much as 4 OFDM channel blocks and 32 SC-QAMs. What makes these good points particularly thrilling is that they help new, larger service tiers to subscribers by merely deploying these CPE gadgets—no further community upgrades are required.
Along with—or instead of—the brand new DOCSIS 3.1 CPE, cable operators may also deploy DOCSIS 4.0 CPE on a DOCSIS 3.1 CMTS to allow the bonding of 5 or extra OFDM channel blocks for even larger service tiers—once more, with simply CPE upgrades. This strategy helps future-proof the community for full DOCSIS 4.0 operation whereas realizing partial DOCSIS 4.0 capability within the downstream.
By surgically focusing on houses that subscribe to premium, high-tier companies with these enhanced CPE gadgets, cable operators can optimize the capacities and throughputs of their current networks and help premium gigabit companies; new D3.1 CPE deployments in both mid- or high-split DOCSIS 3.1 networks help speeds of as much as 8.8 Gbps within the downstream, whereas new DOCSIS 4.0 CPE deployments help speeds of as much as 9.5 Gbps within the downstream. Each gadgets help speeds of as much as 1.7 Gbps within the upstream. These good points allow cable operators who don’t have any instant plans to improve their networks for DOCSIS 4.0 operation to stay aggressive at decrease value.
Node PON
Subsequent-generation Node PON know-how is a superb resolution for choose enterprise clients, high-bandwidth residential subscribers, MDUs, rural deployments, amongst different market alternatives. Node PON options are suitable with present Brownfield HFC cable networks, supporting each the evolution from conventional coax applied sciences and a revolutionary strategy to extending the sting of the community. They’re additionally a key part in Greenfield broadband growth initiatives. In each deployment eventualities, Node PON applied sciences may be seamlessly built-in with cable-friendly OSS/BSS platforms, offering finest at school options with decrease value of possession.
Node PON options are modular and function through an R-OLT gadget put in in a node or VHub. Cable operators will need to select both IEEE EPON/10G EPON or ITU GPON/XGS-PON to evolve current Brownfield networks or prolong a community through Greenfield builds. IEEE EPON/10G EPON requires minimal modifications to present CPE and headend architectures and is absolutely compliant with CableLabs DPoE v2.0 requirements. By integrating with commonplace DOCSIS interfaces, IEEE EPON/10G EPON lowers the price of deployment for cable operators. ITU GPON/XGS-PON operates from a cloud-based PON Area Supervisor that helps platform interoperability for provisioning and ONU administration, in addition to zero-touch on-boarding and provisioning speeds deployment.
Digital CMTS
Digital CMTS (vCMTS) has a number of working advantages—together with scalability, diminished energy consumption and area financial savings—that put together the cable community for next-generation outdoors plant applied sciences. Most significantly, it offers the pliability and operational transparency required to maximise the advantages of DAA and Node PON operation in each new and current community architectures.
Digital CMTS operation splits and strikes entry community capabilities from specialised CMTS or CCAP {hardware} to software program working on business, off-the-shelf (COTS) servers, creating important vitality and price financial savings within the headend. vCMTS can rapidly and effectively port performance from a chassis-based CMTS to a virtualized platform, offering a seamless path from hardware-based CMTS operation to the cloud for conventional CMTS operators whereas considerably extending the sting of the community when deployed at the side of DAA.
Trying Forward
By the top 2024, cable operators may have a transparent, focused technique for optimizing, evolving and/or revolutionizing their networks. Regardless of which course they take, CommScope is the perfect accomplice to assist cable operators obtain their community targets, from optimizing and increasing DOCSIS 3.1 networks to driving fiber to the house.
This text was first printed in The Quick Mode.
© 2023 CommScope Inc. All rights reserved. CommScope and the CommScope emblem are registered logos of CommScope and/or its associates within the U.S. and different international locations. An inventory of CommScope logos is on the market at https://www.commscope.com/logos. All different product names, logos and registered logos are property of their respective house owners. DOCSIS is a registered trademark of Cable Tv Laboratories, Inc.
[1] https://www.ncta.com/broadband-facts. Accessed on 11-10-23.
The event and introduction of a number of new cable community entry applied sciences, extending from the headend into the house, has moved at a outstanding tempo over the previous few years. This speedy tempo of innovation has been pushed by growing shopper calls for positioned on present networks—and the ensuing rush to supply multi-gigabit per second companies to the house—together with the expansion of different entry community applied sciences like fiber to the house (FTTH). As such, the sheer variety of selections for optimizing and evolving cable networks could seem daunting. Subsequently, many cable operators might use 2024 as a possibility to step again, take a deep breath and assess how their present and future community wants align with the abundance of options which are obtainable now and might be sooner or later.
Whereas game-changing, revolutionary community applied sciences akin to Distributed Entry Structure (DAA) and Node PON stay viable choices for a lot of cable operators, others are primarily enthusiastic about optimizing their present community belongings to offer elevated speeds and capacities in a cheap method. Additionally it is anticipated that next-generation Prolonged Spectrum DOCSIS® (ESD), Full Duplex DOCSIS (FDX) and Unified DOCSIS 4.0 community options will proceed to realize traction with cable operators in 2024. The aim, as ever, is 10G. The first query for cable operators in 2024 might be when and the way they are going to get there.
There are two normal solutions to this query. The extra conservative strategy is optimizing current DOCSIS 3.1 community belongings to maximise their capability and throughput speeds. This strategy allows cable operators to supply shoppers premium, high-tier companies whereas minimizing capital expenditures and disruptions to the community. However, some cable operators might be enthusiastic about evolving their present DOCSIS 3.1 community belongings for DOCSIS 4.0 operation. This extra aggressive strategy will contain qualifying and deploying new DOCSIS 4.0 tools within the headend and out of doors plant. Within the quick time period, this evolutionary strategy would require extra capital sources, however will bear fruit past 2024 because the developed community operates with full DOCSIS 4.0 speeds and capacities.
Regardless of the various and diversified applied sciences obtainable to cable operators, this text focuses on three options for optimizing and evolving cable networks that may probably generate important curiosity within the trade in 2024.
Optimizing Present DOCSIS 3.1 Networks
After the massive uptick in bandwidth consumption throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when many individuals have been working and attending college from dwelling, bandwidth consumption has since reverted to the imply—on this case roughly 18 p.c compounded annual progress in downstream and 20 p.c compounded annual progress within the upstream. On the identical time, with 89 p.c of houses and companies getting access to gigabit companies,[1] these companies are clearly the brand new norm.
On this aggressive surroundings, cable operators should proceed to optimize and evolve their networks to maintain tempo. Actually, the first benefit of DOCSIS 4.0 over DOCSIS 3.1 is expanded spectrums/bandwidths and the concurrent enhance in community capability. DOCSIS 3.1 vegetation working at 1.2 GHz within the downstream and 204 MHz within the upstream have sometimes had restricted velocity tiers obtainable to houses due to the restrictions of DOCSIS 3.1 CPE chipsets. These chipsets may solely bond as much as two OFDM channel blocks and 32 single-carrier QAMS (SC-QAMs) within the downstream.
Because of developments in DOCSIS 3.1 CPE chipsets, nevertheless, next-generation DOCSIS 3.1 CPE gadgets can help bonding of as much as 4 OFDM channel blocks and 32 SC-QAMs. What makes these good points particularly thrilling is that they help new, larger service tiers to subscribers by merely deploying these CPE gadgets—no further community upgrades are required.
Along with—or instead of—the brand new DOCSIS 3.1 CPE, cable operators may also deploy DOCSIS 4.0 CPE on a DOCSIS 3.1 CMTS to allow the bonding of 5 or extra OFDM channel blocks for even larger service tiers—once more, with simply CPE upgrades. This strategy helps future-proof the community for full DOCSIS 4.0 operation whereas realizing partial DOCSIS 4.0 capability within the downstream.
By surgically focusing on houses that subscribe to premium, high-tier companies with these enhanced CPE gadgets, cable operators can optimize the capacities and throughputs of their current networks and help premium gigabit companies; new D3.1 CPE deployments in both mid- or high-split DOCSIS 3.1 networks help speeds of as much as 8.8 Gbps within the downstream, whereas new DOCSIS 4.0 CPE deployments help speeds of as much as 9.5 Gbps within the downstream. Each gadgets help speeds of as much as 1.7 Gbps within the upstream. These good points allow cable operators who don’t have any instant plans to improve their networks for DOCSIS 4.0 operation to stay aggressive at decrease value.
Node PON
Subsequent-generation Node PON know-how is a superb resolution for choose enterprise clients, high-bandwidth residential subscribers, MDUs, rural deployments, amongst different market alternatives. Node PON options are suitable with present Brownfield HFC cable networks, supporting each the evolution from conventional coax applied sciences and a revolutionary strategy to extending the sting of the community. They’re additionally a key part in Greenfield broadband growth initiatives. In each deployment eventualities, Node PON applied sciences may be seamlessly built-in with cable-friendly OSS/BSS platforms, offering finest at school options with decrease value of possession.
Node PON options are modular and function through an R-OLT gadget put in in a node or VHub. Cable operators will need to select both IEEE EPON/10G EPON or ITU GPON/XGS-PON to evolve current Brownfield networks or prolong a community through Greenfield builds. IEEE EPON/10G EPON requires minimal modifications to present CPE and headend architectures and is absolutely compliant with CableLabs DPoE v2.0 requirements. By integrating with commonplace DOCSIS interfaces, IEEE EPON/10G EPON lowers the price of deployment for cable operators. ITU GPON/XGS-PON operates from a cloud-based PON Area Supervisor that helps platform interoperability for provisioning and ONU administration, in addition to zero-touch on-boarding and provisioning speeds deployment.
Digital CMTS
Digital CMTS (vCMTS) has a number of working advantages—together with scalability, diminished energy consumption and area financial savings—that put together the cable community for next-generation outdoors plant applied sciences. Most significantly, it offers the pliability and operational transparency required to maximise the advantages of DAA and Node PON operation in each new and current community architectures.
Digital CMTS operation splits and strikes entry community capabilities from specialised CMTS or CCAP {hardware} to software program working on business, off-the-shelf (COTS) servers, creating important vitality and price financial savings within the headend. vCMTS can rapidly and effectively port performance from a chassis-based CMTS to a virtualized platform, offering a seamless path from hardware-based CMTS operation to the cloud for conventional CMTS operators whereas considerably extending the sting of the community when deployed at the side of DAA.
Trying Forward
By the top 2024, cable operators may have a transparent, focused technique for optimizing, evolving and/or revolutionizing their networks. Regardless of which course they take, CommScope is the perfect accomplice to assist cable operators obtain their community targets, from optimizing and increasing DOCSIS 3.1 networks to driving fiber to the house.
This text was first printed in The Quick Mode.
© 2023 CommScope Inc. All rights reserved. CommScope and the CommScope emblem are registered logos of CommScope and/or its associates within the U.S. and different international locations. An inventory of CommScope logos is on the market at https://www.commscope.com/logos. All different product names, logos and registered logos are property of their respective house owners. DOCSIS is a registered trademark of Cable Tv Laboratories, Inc.
[1] https://www.ncta.com/broadband-facts. Accessed on 11-10-23.
