DOCSIS 3.1

DOCSIS 3.1 is getting real. During a DOCSIS 3.1 demo day held last month in CO, where CableLabs is based, 22 vendors demonstrated the capabilities and readiness of the 3.1 technology on various products including cable modems, converged cable access platforms (CCAP) and test and measurement equipment, Belal Hamzeh, dir of network technologies at CableLabs wrote in a blog post Mon. Multiple vendors showcased downstream speeds of up to 4.6 Gbps and 800 Mbps on the upstream. Among the vendors, Arris demonstrated the ability of 3.1 CCAPs to support both 3.1 and 3.0 cable modems using its E6000 platform. Cisco showcased the ability of a 3.1 CCAP to support multiple modulation profiles, which highlights the ability of 3.1 technology to maximize spectral efficiency based on network characteristics. Meanwhile, CableLabs is now open for 3.1 device certification testing. As soon as products demonstrate readiness through the dry run process, certification testing can begin. In order to advance 3.1 device readiness as rapidly as possible, CableLabs will work with device manufacturers in the 3.1 device certification testing process until they can demonstrate this compliance. On Mon, Arris announced its first DOCSIS 3.1 modems for ops and retailers. The Touchstone CM8200 modem offers data rates of more than 5 Mbps down and 2 Gbps up. It features switchable filters with 204MHz upstream and 1218MHz downstream supporting gigabit performance, while reducing interference in the home network. The SURFboard SB8200 Cable Modem offers the same DOCSIS 3.1 performance and features as the CM8200, but is intended for retail customers, who can take advantage of its 32×8 QAM channel bonding capabilities on DOCSIS 3.0 cable systems.