The Global Cable Industry to Adopt 10G to Compete with 5G Networks

The cable TV segment, represented by NCTA, CableLabs, as well as Cable Europe, has introduced the plans of the industry to adopt “10G” or 10 Gbps data networks as a means to compete with 5G wireless networks’ onset. Competition is spurring companies that provide cheap cable and internet packages to ramp up from 1 Gbps modems available today to 10 Gbps and beyond in the future.

The 5G technology, which promises to allow wireless data transfer in one gigabits per second speed, is posing a threat to telecommunications companies, including phone and cable operators. CableLabs said the segment has moved from four percent of houses at a gigabit per second in 2016 to eighty percent last year.

To support the “10G” rollout, the Intel Company will deliver ten-gigabit-ready technology from network infrastructure to residential gateways. Cable providers, whose networks presently pass ninety percent of residences, comprising Cox Communications^® and Comcast^®, plus international operators, comprising Vodafone, Liberty Global, Telecom Argentina, and more, are implementing the “10G” initiative. Lab tests are already underway, while field tests are starting in the year 2020.

The NCTA President, Michael Powell, said, “With groundbreaking, scalable capacity and speeds, the 10G platform is the wired network of the future that will power the digital experiences and imaginations of consumers for years to come. As an industry, we are dedicated to delivering an exceptional national infrastructure that will power digital advancement and propel our innovation economy into the future.”

The foundation of it is already proven, with US cable networks offering one gigabit internet service across eighty percent of the nation up from five percent in 2016. Comparable gigabit services are also available from companies that offer cheap cable and internet packages across the globe. Eventually, “10G” will deliver the symmetrical speeds that are up to ten times quicker than today’s quickest networks.

Build with a capital-efficient approach as well as leveraging the cable networks deployed throughout much of Europe, North America, and Asia, the global “10G” network will support a wide range of immersive digital services as well as applications, said the cable companies.

On the path to achieving “10G”, internet providers will keep upgrading their networks using a combination of technologies that presently exist, along with the ongoing advancements of hardware, software, as well as techniques being developed and trialed by technologists as well as vendors.