Cable Industry To Power Up 10 Gigabit Broadband

5G wireless technology may be getting the most attention these days, but the cable industry has unveiled its own plan for delivering next-gen wired connectivity with significantly greater speeds and capacity and lower latency to consumers in the coming years.

As CES kicks off in Las Vegas this week, CableLabs, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, and Cable Europe introduced what they’re calling “10G” — the cable industry’s technology platform to provide 10 Gbps and greater symmetrical broadband speeds, building on 1 gigabit-capable network infrastructure that’s already in place.

Many major cable operators already offer 1 Gbps speeds on modern hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) networks via DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades. To take this next step, operators will leverage the 10 Gigabit Full Duplex DOCSIS standard (10g FDX). The groups are working together to create a global certification program.

The groups said lab trials are currently underway, with field tests to start in 2020. Participating companies include Comcast, Charter, Cox, Mediacom, and Midco, among others in the U.S., along with international operators including Rogers, Shaw Communications, Vodafone, Taiwan Broadband Communications, Telecom Argentina, and Liberty Global.

“CableLabs creates the technology that supports the deployment of high-capacity broadband networks and gigabit services at scale for the industry,” said CableLabs President and CEO Phil McKinney, in a statement. “With the 10G platform, CableLabs will help ensure the broadband infrastructure will be in place globally with the capacity and performance needed in the future to fuel new innovations and emerging technologies that will transform and enhance the way we live.”

Intel also announced it will be one of the first silicon vendors to power the 10G wired network experience.

“Intel will deliver 10 Gigabit ready technologies from the network infrastructure to home gateways to support the rollout,” WK Tan, VP and general manager of Intel’s Connected Home Division, wrote in a Monday blog post.

Tan said Intel is seeing “tremendous results” in lab settings already.

“When 10 Gigabit arrives, it will enable 10Gbps speeds over existing coaxial networks—without decades of digging and construction—to deliver real value to customers at scale,” Tan wrote. “Much like the recent large-scale Gigabit deployments by companies like Comcast, Cox, and Charter—three of our early partners in 10 Gigabit—the technology will be rapidly scalable from the moment it is deployed.”

Intel is currently working with MaxLinear on a new family of 10 Gbps-ready home gateway platforms, Tan wrote.

CES attendees can learn more about the 10G platform during a session called “The Future of the Broadband Network,” which takes place Wednesday morning at The Four Seasons.—ECN