Survey: 70% of global cable operators favor broadband network virtualization

Dell’Oro Group recently conducted a new survey of global cable operators, with results finding that 100 percent of respondents have either deployed or are planning to deploy some form of vCMTS architecture in their networks within the next 24 months.

According to the analyst's report on the survey, of those planning to deploy within the next 13-24 months, 73 percent of operators define vCMTS as a remote PHY device (RPD) connected to a software-based virtual CMTS running on a server, with 20 percent defining vCMTS as a remote MACPHY device (RMD).

Survey background

The new report, entitled Mapping the Future of Cable Virtualization, details the current and future broadband network deployment plans of cable operators around the world.

From January to March 2022, Dell’Oro Group conducted an online and telephone survey of 50 global cable operators that have broadband networks and provide residential broadband services.

Jeff Heynen, vice president of broadband access and home networking market research at Dell’Oro Group, remarked:

“Virtualization and DAA provide clear benefits to cable operators, especially in highly-competitive environments where throughput, signal quality, and service uptime are critical differentiators. Adoption of these beneficial technologies is growing significantly."

Additional report highlights

In a sign that DAA still remains in the early stages of deployment, Dell'Oro reports that 66 percent of respondents have deployed anywhere from 101-1000 DAA devices (either RPDs or RMDs) in their networks to date.

Meanwhile, hub site consolidation, DOCSIS 3.1 high-split upgrades, and capping legacy CCAP platforms are shown to be the technical drivers leading the decision to migrate to a vCMTS platform.

Significantly, the survey found that improved subscriber experience and platform analytics are the primary business drivers behind the decision to migrate to a vCMTS platform.

The full complimentary survey report, Mapping the Future of Cable Virtualization, is available here for download.

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