Back in the ’80s, everyone envisioned fiber optics to be the ubiquitous infrastructure of the future. Yet, it has not turned out that way. Statistics provided by the Federal Communications Commission reveal that only 25% of all households have fiber access. Why the long delay in instituting fiber into the country’s digital landscape? Money. A nationwide network of fiber would require a costly telecommunications infrastructure. While fiber delivers an excellent ROI in savings, replacing all the old copper is a physical and financially daunting task.
Looking for more info on DOCSIS 4.0? Take a look at one of our latest blogs: Understanding DOCSIS 4.0
Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 4.0 joins 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 standards shepherded by CableLabs. According to the CableLabs website, “The new DOCSIS 4.0 technology will enable the next generation of broadband over cable’s existing hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, delivering symmetrical multi-gigabit speeds while supporting high reliability and high security.” Simply put, the have-nots will be able to enjoy super gigabit speed and 5G technology that 25% of all households take for granted.
The new standard will permit communications providers to offer increased Internet speeds without having to completely replace coaxial cable networks. It creates an even playing field for homes equipped with fiber optics and those without a fiber connection. Consumers will be left to decide which standard is best for them, depending on the type of modem that is purchased.
Preparing for the Coming 5G revolution
DOCSIS 4.0 has been developed to compensate for the slow progress the U.S. is making in fiber-optic implementation. In fact, the country ranks # 22 globally, based on OECD data, among all OECD countries. The U.S. is far behind countries such as Japan and South Korea, with more than 70 percent of the households enjoying broadband subscribers. Japan leads the world in fiber adoption with 73% market penetration.
D3 was widely adopted at its inception in 2016, realizing a gargantuan jump in upstream and downstream speeds. This iteration raised the cap to 10 GBP for download speed and 1 GBP for upload speed. Today, work is already underway to develop a new iteration. The nascent technology delivers multi-gigabit symmetrical services while remaining backward compatible with DOCSIS 3.1. CableLabs’ release of the full specification version took place in October 2017. Moving forward, D3 will be baked into the DOCSIS 4.0 iteration. Cross-version compatibility has been secured through the entire spectrum of all of DOCSIS versions.
According to a recent post published on the Intraway website, this new technology will help pave the digital road to reaching 10G capabilities. “The truth is that 10G represents the long-term future direction and that the focus is not only on HFC networks but also on fiber-to-the-premises and wireless networks deployed by MSOs’.” Intraway stated, adding “There seems to be little uncertainty that 10G systems will be crucial down the road as there’s a feeling of eventuality that services needing those speeds will surface just as they did in every prior step-up in the capacity of the cable access network.”
Intelligent Automation is Driving the Telecom Advances
At the SCTE 2019 Expo held in New Orleans last October, Intraway’s North American CTO Steve Marsh discussed the role that intelligent automation solutions software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) will play in the future with Intraway’s Symphonica, a lifecycle service orchestration engine that transforms telecommunications networks into agile and flexible platforms. It offers high-speed self-provisioning. Symphonica meets all telecom industry standards and can be employed to solve all multi-level orchestration and GPON service activation in minutes.
Intraway helps service over 40 million subscribers in 20 countries. Our standards-based vision adds the most advanced functionalities to speed up time-to-market, reduce ROI, and commit to being a customer-centric company. To find out how Intraway can make your company a customer-centric company, contact us.
Looking for more info on DOCSIS 4.0? Take a look at one of our latest blogs: Understanding DOCSIS 4.0