In February 2009 VECTOR together with the telecom operator PETRUS for the first time deployed the fast data transmission system based on DOCSIS 3.0 I-CMTS.
The deployment included the creation of the migration plan as well as the system and network configuration for DOCSIS 3.0. In the next phase the old system was replaced by the new one.
The PETRUS company is active in a few towns in the central and northern Poland (Chojnice, Toruń, Człuchów, Miastko, Bytów, Czersk and Tuchola) where it offers services for several dozen thousand of subscribers. PETRUS belongs to the very exclusive club of companies which offer the Quadruple Play service (“four in one” – analog TV + digital TV + Internet + telephone).
“Among many advantages of introducing the DOCSIS 3.0 system in our company the most important one is the reduction of the transmission cost per one subscriber and the flexible configuration of downstream and upstream purchase. The introduced DOCSIS 3.0 standard allows us offering very fast data transmission services – up to 200 Mb/s for one subscriber”, said Mr. Marcin Granowski, the PETRUS Project Coordinator.
The key element of the DOCSIS 3.0 standard is CMTS, which controls subscriber cable modems. PETRUS has ARRIS C4 controllers installed by VECTOR. ARRIS C4 allows the operator offering advanced services of telephony, data and video transmission via convergent IP network for business and individual customers. VECTOR will deploy the DOCSIS 3.0 for other telecom operators in the near future.
source: VECTOR
Nothing gets me more giddy than learning about new Internet technologies that may wind up in my household one day and today’s AP article about Comcast’s demo of DOCSIS 3.0 is no exception. Currently, cable modems use a coaxial cable line to shoot data down a TV channel. The fastest throughput this method has been able to achieve lies around 8-10 megabits.
A new revision of cable modem technology dubbed DOCSIS 3.0 uses four TV channels for data delivery and delivers an unbelievable 150 megabit per second download speed! Unfortunately, the article didn’t say what kind of upload speed this new technology will be able to provide but I was able to research and find a potential upload speed for DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems of around 120mbps.
In the presentation, ARRIS Group Inc. chief executive Robert Stanzione downloaded a 30-second, 300-megabyte television commercial in a few seconds and watched it long before a standard modem worked through an estimated download time of 16 minutes.
Generally, I would much rather use an Internet service based around fiber lines (FiOS) than old coaxial lines but Verizon’s FiOS service has been rather slow at laying new fiber lines to residential areas. Cable providers should be able to offer DOCSIS 3.0 service to residential areas “within less than a couple years”. What does this mean? This means that within 5 years we might be seeing YouTube HD (if YouTube is still around…) in addition to many more people relying on online data storage to safeguard personal documents, perhaps even an online OS.
source: paulstamatiou.com
In a serendipitous moment, I had a call this morning to talk about DOCSIS 3.0 CPE updates, and I learned that J:COM in Japan has completed trials and is starting to install Motorola’s channel-bonding modems in subscriber homes TODAY. The latest status reports from the lab have found no issues with the SB6120 modems, and J:COM is apparently eager to fulfill subscriber orders coming in. Word is that thousands of users have already signed up for the DOCSIS 3.0 service.
The SB6120 modems are the same ones awaiting certification from CableLabs, but interestingly, they are meeting far more difficult requirements in J:COM’s deployment than they’re likely to see in the Cert Wave process. Cable operators almost always need enhancements to CableLabs-certified devices to make them work with their unique networks. For example: specific user interface customizations, technical reporting capabilities and redundancy support. I guess a standard can only go so far.
There was other thing I had confirmed on my call this morning. Motorola has a DOCSIS 3.0 voice platform (i.e. not just data-only CPE) that is ready for lab testing at customer sites.
source: connectedhome2go.com
After interviewing Chris Kohler about the modems that passed CableLabs Cert Wave 58, it seemed only fair to talk with Motorola’s Mike Cookish as well about the bronze DOCSIS 3.0 qualification of Motorola’s cable modem termination system (CMTS). The interview is about 16 minutes long and fairly technical, so for those of you not interested in listening to the whole thing, there are a few choice quotes below the audio link.
On DOCSIS 3.0 speeds:
“Our customer J:COM in Japan on April 25th just launched a 160-megabit service.”
On DOCSIS 3.0 in the US:
“My expectation is that by the end of 2008, the top major operators [in the US]… will be in some form of deployment stage for channel bonding in most parts of their network.”
On the need for both greater overall upstream capacity and peak upstream bandwidth capacity
“The reality is that when operators really want to begin to deploy full-scale, widely-available, production-ready upstream channel bonding they’re going to need two things: they’re going to need to increase the capacity of the number of upstreams for fiber node or neighborhood, and then number two, they’re naturally going to need the DOCSIS 3.0 upstream channel bonding solution.
So in Motorola’s case, we’re working on the upstream portion of our decoupled I-CMTS solution called the RX32 that will provide 32 upstream channels per single card as well as upstream channel bonding, and it’s the two of these that we believe will give the operator the optimum mix of increased average capacity as well as increased peak bandwidth for channel bonding.”
source: connectedhome2go.com
Motorola announced its third DOCSIS 3.0 customer in Korea this week. Cable operator Qrix Communications is deploying both the Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem termination system (CMTS) platform and Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems, joining the likes of Korean operators C&M and CJ CableNet.
Basic info:
Qrix will use the Motorola BSR 64000 CMTS with TX32 decoupled downstream module and the Motorola SB6120 cable modems
The DOCSIS 3.0 equipment for Qrix provides up to 160 Mbps of throughput
The Motorola gear is backwards compatible, supporting legacy DOCSIS 1.x and 2.0 modems
source: connectedhome2go.com
Not only that, but there’s a quote worth noting from a Multichannel News article that ran last weekend:
Motorola has started shipping production volumes of DOCSIS 3.0 modems to a large North American MSO that is planning to turn on service before the end of the month, said Chris Kohler director of engineering for Motorola’s broadband solutions group.
There’s a post on Broadband Reports today about pre-DOCSIS 3.0 technology suggesting that certified DOCSIS 3.0 technology is not available. It is! In fact, Motorola has already deployed DOCSIS 3.0 modems and CMTS gear. The first commercial DOCSIS 3.0 deployment came through J:COM in Japan, and Motorola has since deployed with Korean customers as well.
While the DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts have felt like slow going, there is momentum building, not least because cable operators see revenue opportunities in data services. Sure, traditional video is the historical bread and butter of the cable industry, but it’s not where the margins are today. Cable operators have a lot to gain by investing in higher data speeds.
source: connectedhome2go.com
This was a big week for broadband. The combined news of growth in HD, FTTH, Multimedia-over-Coax (MoCA) technology and DOCSIS 3.0 deployments shows just how important broadband infrastructure has become. Sure, the financial markets may knock things back a bit, but our growing dependence on broadband suggests that the industry isn’t likely to slow to a crawl. We have too much riding – literally – on our broadband pipes.
More DOCSIS 3.0
Comcast made a big splash this week by extending its DOCSIS 3.0 deployments into Boston and Philadelphia. With the technology comes a new tier of service: 50 Mbps downstream and 10 Mbps upstream.
More HD
According to research firm iSuppli, shipments of HDTVs shot past shipments of standard-def televisions in 2008. The forecast is for HDTV shipments to increase to 241.2 million by 2012.
More MoCA
Broadcom is getting in on the MoCA game with integration of the technology into its latest modem, router and set-top chipsets. Verizon currently uses MoCA for its multi-room DVR service. Will more operators finally start offering in-home TV networking? Broadcom seems to be betting on it.
More Fiber
Fiber is growing as a share of broadband access technologies around the world, according to the latest report from the OECD (via GigaOM). Both Japan and Korea have more fiber-based broadband connections than anything else, 45% and 39% respectively. In the US, 3% of connections are fiber-to-the-home.
source: connectedhome2go.com
After months of watching news on Comcast’s DOCSIS 3.0 deployments, it finally occurred to me to troll around online to see how subscribers are responding to the new higher-speed service tiers. I didn’t find much, but what I did find was promising. Check out this post from a Broadband Reports forum:
The modem has a gigabit ethernet port and also shows channel bonding for download. Upload speed is single channel.
It’s quite fast. I was able to get 9GB (yes GB) downloaded in about 50 mins downloading some video…
Comcast hasn’t said much publicly about when and where it’s deploying DOCSIS 3.0, but so far you can find D3-enabled service tiers running in the Twin Cities, Boston and Philadelphia. Jeff Baumgartner reported last week that Comcast still plans to have 20% of its network upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 by the end of the year. Parts of Washington and Oregon are next on the list.
I called up to have my speeds increased to Ultra in Northeastern MA. They said no problem, but my SB5100 wasn’t going to work and I needed a new modem. They sent me a [Motorola] SB6120 DOCSIS 3 modem via UPS the next day as part of a self-install kit… With the new D3 modem, I am seeing 30+ on powerboost down and a steady 5 up. The new modem definitely makes a difference.
source: connectedhome2go.com
Every once in a while I find it useful to do a status check of Internet speed tiers. With that in mind, here’s a look at what major operators across the US are promoting, along with a nod to a few noteworthy international players.
Cox Communications: Currently has a premier speed tier with 15 Mbps downstream (20 Mbps with PowerBoost), but has upgraded many of its systems to 1GHz, giving it room for speed increases
Comcast: Launched DOCSIS 3.0-based “Extreme Tier” last year with 50 Mbps downstream and 10Mbps upstream, and plans to have 65% of markets upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 by the end of 2009
Charter: Broke the US speed tier record with announcement of new 60 Mbps downstream service
Verizon: Introduced FTTH-based high-speed tier across its entire customer footprint with 50 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream
Time Warner Cable: Offers 20 Mbps downstream in some places, but has not yet clarified timing on DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts
Cablevision: Currently has a speed tier with 30 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream, but has imminent plans to introduce DOCSIS 3.0-enabled services
source: connectedhome2go.com