Introducing 10G: The Next Great Leap for Broadband

Global cable industry plans massive advancement in network capacity and speed with platform that will keep ahead of consumer demand and innovation curve

LAS VEGAS — January 7, 2019 — Today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, CableLabs and Cable Europe introduced the cable industry’s vision for delivering 10 gigabit networks, or 10G™ – a powerful, capital-efficient  technology platform that will ramp up from the 1 gigabit offerings of today to speeds of 10 gigabits per second and beyond – to consumers in the United States and across the globe in the coming years. To support the rollout, Intel will deliver 10 gigabit ready technology from the network infrastructure to home gateways.

Cable operators in the U.S., whose networks currently pass 85 percent of U.S. homes, including Comcast, Charter, Cox, Mediacom, Midco, Cogeco/Atlantic Broadband and others – plus international operators, including Rogers, Shaw Communications, Vodafone, Taiwan Broadband Communications, Telecom Argentina, Liberty Global and more, are implementing the new 10G initiative, with lab trials already underway, and field trials beginning in 2020.

“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,” said NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell. “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.”

A Great Leap, Already in Motion

The foundation of 10G is already proven with cable networks offering 1 gigabit service today across 80 percent of the U.S., up from just five percent in 2016. Similar gigabit services are available by cable operators across the world. Ultimately, 10G will deliver symmetrical speeds that are up to 10 times faster than today’s fastest networks.

Built using a capital-efficient approach and leveraging the expansive cable networks already deployed throughout much of North America, Europe and Asia, the 10G network will seamlessly support a wide variety of immersive digital services and applications. On the path to accomplishing 10G, internet providers will continue to upgrade their networks with a combination of technologies that currently exist alongside the ongoing advancements of new hardware, software and techniques that are being developed and tested by technologists and vendors.

Redefining Experiences and Opportunities

10G’s promise of faster speeds, more capacity, lower latency and greater security will enable and help fully realize a wide variety of new services and applications that will change the way millions of consumers, educators, businesses and innovators interact with the world.

“CableLabs creates the technology that supports the deployment of high-capacity broadband networks and gigabit services at scale for the industry,” said CableLabs President and CEO Phil McKinney. “With the 10G platform, CableLabs will help ensure the broadband infrastructure will be in place globally with the capacity and performance needed in the future to fuel new innovations and emerging technologies that will transform and enhance the way we live.”

Through the 10G platform, new innovations will transform consumer experiences in homes, businesses and wherever people connect.  It creates new possibilities for smart cities, healthcare, connected gaming, video streaming, virtual and augmented reality, education and businesses of all sizes.

Simply put, the 10G platform promises improved security, seamless connectivity, reliability, increased capacity and, as the name would imply, up to 10 gigabit per second speeds.

CES media attendees can learn more about the 10G platform by attending “The Future of the Broadband Network” conversation at The Four Seasons on Wednesday, January 9 at 9:00 a.m. PT. Industry leaders from NCTA, CableLabs and member companies will participate.

For more information on the cable industry’s 10G platform, please visit https://www.10Gplatform.com.

10G is trademark of the NCTA. CableLabs is the registered trademark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other products and/or services referenced are trademarks of their respective companies.

About NCTA:

NCTA – The Internet & Television Association represents network innovators and content creators that connect, entertain, inform and inspire consumers every day. NCTA’s members have invested $290 billion in private capital to build the world’s most powerful technology platform, reaching 93 percent of American homes and serving 66 million customers. More than 200 programming networks are creating imaginative, popular and award-winning television content. Our industry supports 2.9 million American jobs and employs at least 300 people in every congressional district.

About CableLabs:

As the leading innovation and R&D lab for the cable industry, CableLabs creates global impact through its member companies around the world and its subsidiaries, Kyrio and UpRamp. With a state-of-the art research and innovation facility and collaborative ecosystem with thousands of vendors, CableLabs delivers impactful network technologies for the entire industry. For more information, please visit https://www.cablelabs.com/.

About Cable Europe:

Cable Europe is the trade association that connects leading broadband cable TV operators and their national trade associations throughout the European Union. The regulatory and public policy activities of Cable Europe aim to promote and defend the industry’s policies and business interests at European and international level. The European cable industry provides high-speed broadband internet, TV services, and telephony to more than 65.8 million homes in the European Union. http://www.cableeurope.eu/

Supporting Quotes

ARRIS

“ARRIS has been developing the building blocks that are the foundation for 10G for several years, providing the ability to gracefully evolve today’s networks to support multi-gig symmetrical services. Early technology trials have been very promising and will mature very quickly this year,” said Bruce McClelland, ARRIS CEO.

Charter

“We are entering a new age of digital innovation that will require networks that can deliver high speed, massive capacity and low latency,” said Tom Rutledge, Chairman and CEO of Charter Communications. “The cable industry’s 10G platform will be the platform of choice for the innovators and developers of the future technologies and applications that will create and inspire the way we work, live, educate and entertain.”

Comcast

“This initiative demonstrates our continued leadership in broadband, where today we provide the fastest speeds, the most advanced Wi-Fi, and the broadest deployment of gigabit Internet service, now available to tens of millions of homes,” said Dave Watson, President and CEO of Comcast Cable. “10 gigabit technologies will open the doors to an almost unimaginable future of innovation paving the way for an entirely new generation of exciting applications and experiences.”

Cox

“There’s no better place to introduce the 10G initiative than CES – the world’s largest showcase of current and future technologies,” said Pat Esser, President of Cox Communications. “Many of the innovative visions being discussed here will require the kind of exceptional technology platform that our industry will deliver with 10G.”

Liberty Global

“While the world is talking about 5G, we’re proud to be part of this extraordinary movement to 10G. We’re already launching entire Gigicities and that’s just the start,” commented Mike Fries, CEO and Vice Chairman of Liberty Global. “We’re building a network that leverages the strategic advantage that DOCSIS 3.1 brings, and we’re excited to utilize this world-class platform to provide a 1G to 10G playbook that will fuel innovation and the economy of the future.”

Rogers Communications

“The industry is at the cusp of a technological transformation as we move beyond super high speeds, to introduce ultra-high capacity and ultra-low latency that will open up a whole new world of possibilities for consumers and businesses,” said Jorge Fernandes, CTIO, Rogers Communications. “10G broadband is an instrumental technology for 5G as it will be the critical, unified backbone that connects our wireless, broadband and enterprise networks.” 

SCTE•ISBE

“The introduction of 10G positions our industry as the foundation for innovations that will transform the lives of consumers and businesses,” said Mark Dzuban, President and CEO of SCTE•ISBE.  “As the industry’s applied science arm, SCTE•ISBE is working in concert with NCTA and CableLabs to develop training, standards and operational practices that optimize time-to-market and performance, and to fuel SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo’s role as the pivotal venue for 10G thought leadership.”    

Shaw Communications

“We are pleased to be part of the 10G journey with CableLabs and its members to enable the fast broadband speeds that will be critical to how our customers live and how our economy grows,” said Zoran Stakic, COO and CTO, Shaw Communications. “Connectivity fuels the lives of our customers, businesses, and communities, and leveraging CableLabs’ research and innovation has already allowed us to efficiently double the speeds of our fastest plans to more than 4 million homes across 94 percent of our footprint. We will continue to work with CableLabs as we push to make faster broadband speeds economically feasible and broadly available across Western Canada.”

Taiwan Broadband Communications

“As one of the leading cable operators in Asia and one of the first to enable gigabit technology, we are excited to be a part of the next big step for broadband in delivering wide-scale deployment of gigabit broadband across Taiwan where TBC operates,” said Jimmy Chen, CEO of TBC. “Moving forward, in line with global trends, we are of the view that 10G is the innovative solution and path forward for surpassing our customers’ demands for next-generation content delivery and connectivity.”

Telecom Argentina

“10G represents a tremendous commitment to furthering broadband innovation by the global industry, and one we are proud to be a part of,” said Carlos Moltini, CEO of Telecom Argentina. “As we continue on the path of evolving broadband services across Argentina, we are looking forward to enabling both new experiences and the development of new products and services with technologies that will enable the convergence of our fixed and mobile networks. As a mobile operator, Telecom will rely on 10G as we deploy our own next-generation networks through close integration with 10G fixed networks to enable our new wireless infrastructure.”

Vodafone Germany

“We are thrilled to support the vision and development of 10G as we roll out gigabit broadband services across Germany and we are already offering gigabit service to more than 6 million homes in Germany by year-end and nearly all of our 13 million homes by the end of 2020,” said Manuel Cubero, CCO, Vodafone Germany. “As technologies within the cable industry progress, we look forward to paving the way for multi-gigabit broadband and unparalleled content experiences in Germany.”

Atlantic Broadband

“For decades, our industry has led the way on broadband development and deployment, delivering extraordinary benefits, fueling innovation and improving lives,” said Richard J. Shea, President and CEO of Atlantic Broadband.  “With the 10G initiative—which promises even faster speeds, greater reliability and enhanced security—we are at a new inflection point in our remarkable technological trajectory that will be truly transformative for every segment of society,” said Richard J. Shea, President & CEO of Atlantic Broadband.

Cogeco Connexion

“Our priority has always been to continuously invest in upgrading our broadband network to improve our customers’ experience, including our 1G roll-out.  We welcome this breakthrough technology initiative as it will be part of the next great leap for broadband,” said Ken Smithard, President of Cogeco Connexion.