21285 - SCTE Broadband Dec2021 COMPLETE v1

25 Vol. 43 No. 4 - November 2021 Issue from the industry a necessity, and like the air we breathe should be a readily available constant supply of data. Low latency. Time has always been a factor; even now the time difference between two stock markets is critical and can influence a win or a loss. Ensuring that the network performs at speed on all mediums is critical. The latency in an AR or VR requires a latency that does not cause any kind of delay. Delays give the experience problems: in freezing, pixelation. The network latency has provided problems from the first day and avid gamers will be the first to jump on this, as latency costs virtual lives. What is in place for the future? CableLabs are looking towards a higher frequency usage within the next 7 years. DOCSIS 4.0 is planned to be close to 3GHz in frequency by 2028 where Extended Spectrum is the solution (there are discussions of using above 3GHz and getting close to the 6GHz area). Moving to 3GHz within 7 years seems a hard task at present, knowing the constraints of the coax cables in the network, especially where coax cables are the biggest factor when utilising DOCSIS. Upgrades of coax cables are not taken lightly, when a fibre can be put in place and move the fibre closer. The attenuation of coax cables is the main factor affecting their future usage; the higher the frequency used, the higher the attenuation. Dividing the network into upstream and downstream has always been the strategy before, with fixed diplexers to ensure the streams never mix. Every time the frequencies change the diplexers in all equipment needs to be upgraded to the new diplex frequency. Full duplex DOCSIS removes the diplexers from the equation and allows the frequencies to change, according to the network requirements. Extended spectrum is again a tool to use on the clay, however there are a number of things that the potters wheel also needs; for example the whole network to be ready to transmit 3GHz. This includes the headend, the transmitters, the fibres, the receivers, fibre nodes, coaxial distribution, amplifiers, taps, splitters, the subscriber drop, the wall outlets, the in-home installation, the modems and STBS. All of these will need an upgrade to allow 3GHz to pass. Hybrid networks is a name given to a mixed network, however a Converged Fibre Copper (CFC) network is more aptly named for the future, where copper and fibre converge at a specific point in the network. This is speculation of course, and open for debate. The need for more broadband is a requirement however, that much we know for certain. As always there are commercial, geopolitical and social tensions that will affect the direction of travel. Currently there are commercial pressures dictating that DOCSIS is a standard that will continue to evolve over the next many years, whereas fibre is seen as the only solution to a network. Politically the drive for a GIGABIT nation is more than evident, and the only solution seen currently is a move to fibre. Socially, the marketing campaigns around fibre have been so effective that the assumption must be now that fibre is the only solution that works. Nobody talks about getting broadband, they only talk about getting fibre.