Cox Architecture Chief Calls The Upstream Bandwidth Issue Of DOCSIS 3.1 An “Iceberg”

In a recent announcement, the network architecture chief of Cox Communications, Jeff Finkelstein, stated that the upstream bandwidth of DOCSIS 3.1 is going to become considerably constrained due to the increase in the usage of DOCSIS 3.1. He mentioned that this limitation is actually an “iceberg” for the cable industry.

While speaking at the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies in Denver, Finkelstein urged telecommunication companies to deploy as much as fiber they can. However, some DOCSIS 3.1 backers demonstrated a few presentations, which suggested the use of advanced technologies might help in extending the utility of copper cable to the year 2040.

“As you are pulling this fiber, this is the opportunity to build the network of the future — and our natural tendency, particularly of the outside plant folks, is to just over-lash yourself and pull it down and when you need to, you’ll pull it off the strand and connect it into a tap,” Finkelstein said. “As we go through the planning, what are the things we are going to do that we are not going to regret doing or if we are going to regret it, make it a choice.”

He also stated that there is also a possibility for operators mitigating the constraints in the upstream bandwidth by moving it from 1K-QAM to 4K-QAM. However, the operators will still face the difficulty of splitting their 500-home nodes into smaller lentils when they are pushing the fiber deeper into the networks.

Finkelstein further added that, “One of the things you need to give serious consideration to when you do these splitsDo you have a PON strategy or an FTTH strategy? EPON, GPON, Ethernet, wavelengths, whatever you want it to be.” The significantly increased broadband usage rate indicates that operators will have to constantly deliver 10 Gbps by 2026.

“Those were spends we never ended up regretting,” Finkelstein said. “Some of it [was] because of some very smart folks we are standing on the shoulders of giants in the cable industry but now it’s our turn to prepare it for the next step for the people that will be standing on our shoulders to keep it going and have all the capacity our customers will need.”