Vecima Networks (TSX: VCM) this month announced that it had participated in what the company billed as the first DOCSIS 4.0 technology demonstration of 8.9 Gbps downstream and 6.2 Gbps upstream transmission speeds in a multi-vendor, real-world network environment. The demo was conducted at the recent “CableLabs 10G Showcase: Experience the Transformation” event in Denver, Colorado, which was attended by the cable broadband technology executives and decision makers (see "Cablelabs 10G Showcase demos portend expanded DOCSIS 4.0 deployments").
For the demonstration, Vecima’s Entra EN8400 Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) node was employed. The demonstration was built using a next-generation DOCSIS 4.0 system-on-a-chip (SoC) for Remote MACPHY devices (RMDs), along with 1.8 GHz amplifiers and taps from industry partners.
For the demo, which was supported by a Tier One North American service provider, a realistic four amplifier cascade was built, representing approximately one mile of cable plant.
“We’re seeing performance with DOCSIS 4.0 technology greater than what is possible with 10G PON, and it’s paving the way for cable operators to offer a true 10G service using high-split DOCSIS 4.0 FDD,” pointed out Colin Howlett, chief technology officer at Vecima.
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Howlett continued, “By building on the existing FDD approach and extending downstream and upstream to higher frequencies, the capacity of the network can be increased through the existing amplifier cascade without changing amplifier spacings.”
Vecima’s DOCSIS 4.0 technology will be available in the company's Entra EN8400 DAA node, and its Entra EN9000 GAP (Generic Access Platform) node, as well as in other non-Vecima node platforms that support DOCSIS 4.0 technology.
Both the EN8400 and EN9000 nodes were highlighted at the CableLabs event.
“CableLabs and its members and vendors continue to show that DOCSIS 4.0 technology can deliver massive capacity with incremental upgrades to existing HFC plant,” asserted Curtis Knittle, Vice President of Wired Technologies at CableLabs. “It’s a natural and cost-effective network upgrade.”
Vecima notes its Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) product portfolio, recently recognized by the Dell’Oro Group as the North America market share leader in Remote MACPHY and 10G-EPON Remote OLT solutions, is deployed by broadband operators around the world.
“Although each operator will evolve at a different pace, DOCSIS 4.0 technology is here, and it’s proven to deliver 10G speeds over existing HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax) networks,” concluded Ryan Nicometo, senior vice president and general manager of Vecima’s Video & Broadband Solutions segment. “Operators can best take advantage of this opportunity to evolve their networks by working with vendors now to get ahead of their technology planning cycles. The good news is we believe the transition to DOCSIS 4.0 technology is straight-forward, cost-effective, and brings unparalleled capacity.”