Why This Matters: Evolution of the new tech to create higher speeds and lower latencies will depend on budgets and the right foundational groundwork.
Full-fledged deployments of Full Duplex (FDX) DOCSIS are still at least a couple of years away, but CableLabs believes vendors are getting close enough in their technology development to be ready for initial interoperability testing later this year.
Interops are expected to be underway in earnest in 2019, but the start of that work could begin by fourth-quarter 2018, Doug Jones, principal architect at CableLabs, said June 6 at an operations roundtable that was part of the SCTE Rocky Mountain chapter's 23rd annual Engineering Symposium in Englewood, Colo.
That will help to establish important groundwork on product interoperability for FDX DOCSIS, an annex to the DOCSIS 3.1 specifications that will support symmetrical multi-Gigabit broadband speeds on widely deployed hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks.
CableLabs released the physical layer specs for FDX DOCSIS last fall, and followed with the addition of MAC Layer support in January.
Though the prescribed path to FDX DOCSIS is a node-plus-zero network (or N 0, a passive, deep fiber network in which there are no amplifiers between the node and the home), CableLabs is also working on other approaches that won't necessarily require N 0 to get cable operators started on that path, Jones noted.
CableLabs, he explained, is building a plan based on a node-plus-five environment. We're going to prove that FDX equipment will work on that, as a path toward FDX DOCSIS and get you that 1-Gig [Gigabit per second] symmetrical tier maybe without having to go node-plus-zero first, Jones said.
Having some flexibility is important because HFC networks are far from uniform between cable operators, or even within a single operator's footprint. Some have segments of the network at node-plus-15 and others at node-plus-zero, and everything in between.
And there are major business decisions to consider with moving to N 0.
Big Budget Battle
There's a big battle that exists out there on cost that's going to keep thwarting node-plus-zero for a while, said Tom Gorman, founder and president of opXL, and a cable engineering executive who's worked for operators such as Comcast and Charter Communications.
By way of example, he said some plant extensions still require an amplifier to boost the signal.
There's got to be a very concerted effort and plan and willingness to spend to get to that node-plus-zero [architecture], Gorman said. There's still a lot of work to be done there.
And there are other ways that operators are getting to symmetrical 1-Gbps speeds even before FDX DOCSIS takes firm hold and downstream and upstream traffic are carried on the same OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) subcarriers.
For instance, some operators in Europe, including Vodafone Spain and ComHem in Sweden, have expanded their upstream capacity, using a split of 5 MHz to 204 MHz, to enable 1-Gig upstream speeds. That's another way MSOs are achieving symmetrical 1-Gig speeds on HFC without spending on node-plus-zero, Jones said.
But Jones stressed that N 0 has critical benefits in addition to delivering more capacity those networks can also carry power for the nodes as well as other devices that will also hang off of these increasingly distributed networks, such as access points for 4G and future 5G wireless and mobile capabilities.
It's the symmetrical capacity and the powering that makes [N 0] very valuable, Jones said.
Even as cable operators add more and more fiber to their network, Gorman warned that MSOs must be careful that their workforces continue to include technicians that know their way around coax.
We're finding that there's not enough people to splice coax, Gorman said. The coax splicing is becoming the dying art, and [cable operators] still have a ton of coax out there. That's where there's a hole that's getting bigger and bigger.
With respect to 5G, the cable industry is eager to participate in that evolution amid the move to a standard that will deliver higher speeds and lower latencies and will be enabled in part by small cells that will likely be backhauled by cable's HFC plant and growing fiber networks.
Cable's move to FDX DOCSIS and distributed access architectures make HFC suitable for dense, 5G microcells, Dan Rice, vice president of HFC architecture at Comcast, said.
All [telecom companies] are headed to the same spot, with fiber to remote nodes and physical layers out in the node, he said.
Gorman added that future 5G applications such as low-latency connectivity for autonomous vehicles, will present new challenges and opportunities for the cable industry.
Cable will need to focus on the accuracy, reliably and availability of those 5G networks.
The applications for [5G] will be lifeline applications, and it just makes our plant reliability all the more important, Gorman said. This is critical stuff we're talking about beyond that 5G can deliver more bandwidth wirelessly.
Growing Role of Machine Learning
Earlier in the panel, Comcast's Rice relayed some info on how machine learning is working its way into network operations.
A prime example is some work Comcast is doing to identify noise on the network and how to further mitigate it.
There's a growing source of switching power noise that comes in small, periodic bursts, he noted.
Comcast has done some field trials using machine learning to get a fix on those signatures and train the model to keep that noise, Rice said. That test work has already seen some definite reductions on errors caused by such noise that could help to improve the customer experience when that sort of noise flares up.
Why This Matters: Evolution of the
North America Stories
30/01/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Hosts the National Opera Association's 2026 C...
30/01/2026
Student Spotlight: Sriram Narayanan The classical pianist shares his experience growing up with a language disability and finding his voice through music.
Ja...
29/01/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., January 29, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) reports fu...
29/01/2026
Bluey' Wins Second Consecutive Top Streaming Title of the Year with 45 Billi...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Presents East Coast Premiere of Peter and Leonardo...
29/01/2026
Mercedes-Benz is marking 140 years of automotive innovation with a new S-Class b...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Love is Blind: Sweden Returns for a Third Season - Premiering ...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Unmask Bridgerton' Season 4 With Our Complete Coverage Guide
Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in Season ...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Extraordinary Crime Mysteries, Mythical Worlds and High-Stakes...
29/01/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
29/01/2026
Get ready to game - the native GeForce NOW app for Linux PCs is now available in beta, letting Linux desktops tap directly into GeForce RTX performance from the...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix's Kohrra Season 2 Unveils A Thrilling Whodunnit Tr...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
What Next? Netflix Presents the Latest German-Speaking Series,...
28/01/2026
Quantum technologies are rapidly emerging as foundational capabilities for economic competitiveness, national security and scientific leadership in the 21st cen...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
27/01/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...
Why This Matters: Evolution of the new tech to create higher speeds and lower latencies will depend on budgets and the right foundational groundwork.
