DOCSIS
CableLabs Completes Full Duplex DOCSIS Specification
“In the United States, more than 90 percent of households are connected to an HFC (hybrid fiber-coaxial) network, and consumers typically have higher download speeds than upload speeds. By enabling Full Duplex DOCSIS (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology), the upstream can flow up to 6 Gbps and downstream traffic can flow at up to 10 Gigabits concurrently, enabling the efficiency of spectrum use.” -- Phil McKinney, president and chief executive officer of CableLabs
The number of connected devices and bandwidth-hungry online experiences are expected to increase exponentially in the next decade. Also, with the continuous development of new applications that enable new experiences, such as augmented reality and virtual reality, an increase in upstream capacity demand is a matter of “when” and not “if." Operators are continuously challenged to find cost-effective solutions to meet this growing demand for faster broadband speeds. With a focus on solving this challenge of the future, CableLabs recently completed the Full Duplex DOCSIS® (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) specification.
Full Duplex DOCSIS (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) technology builds on the successful completion of CableLabs’ DOCSIS 3.1 specification, which made deployments of 10 Gbps downstream and 1 Gbps upstream broadband possible. Full Duplex DOCSIS technology (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) improves upon the DOCSIS 3.1 standard by:
- Significantly increasing upstream capacity
- Enabling symmetric multi-gigabit services over existing hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) technology
- Ensuring that cable operators are ready to meet future usage needs for technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality - although widespread consumer demand for high speed upstream is not yet here, operators need to be prepared when the time comes
Current DOCSIS networks have to juggle available upstream and downstream traffic. Full Duplex DOCSIS technology (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) supports multi-gigabit symmetric services by enabling concurrent transmissions in the same spectrum, providing the ability to increase the upstream capacity without sacrificing downstream capacity. This has the potential to greatly improve network efficiency and, in turn, customer experience.
Starting from Full Duplex DOCSIS (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) as an internal innovation, CableLabs developed this solution in collaboration with our members and industry partners, enabling cable operators to deliver multi-gigabit symmetric services. Full Duplex DOCSIS technology (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) offers high speeds over the existing infrastructure and is less expensive to deploy than fiber, while still maintaining backwards compatibility with previous generations of DOCSIS technology.
You can read more about our Full Duplex DOCSIS (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) specification effort in my article “Full Duplex DOCSIS Technology: Raising the Ante with Symmetric Gigabit Service.” Make sure to check our website later this month for the complete Full Duplex DOCSIS (now a part of DOCSIS 4.0 technology) specification.