ARRIS C4 CMTS Transmits 4.5 Gbps DOCSIS Downstream Bandwidth

At the NCTA Cable Show 2011 in Chicago, ARRIS is demonstrating real file transfer throughput of 4.5 Gbps of DOCSIS downstream traffic being transmitted over 128 DOCSIS downstream channels into a single fiber node. In the demo, an ARRIS C4 CMTS is configured using four newly-released 32 downstream cable access modules (32D CAMs) to source the 128 DOCSIS downstream channels into the fiber node. The bandwidth monitor illustrates that the total downstream bandwidth sent into the fiber node remains fairly constant at about 4.5 Gbps. These record-breaking bandwidth levels may be required for large-scale IP video systems in the future.

The demo also shows a proof-of-concept implementation of a 5-200 MHz high-split DOCSIS upstream system with 575 Mbps of DOCSIS upstream bandwidth being transmitted over 24 DOCSIS upstream channels out of a single fiber node. This demo uses a single ARRIS 24U CAM to receive the high-split 5-200MHz upstream spectrum from a fiber node. This record-breaking upstream bandwidth is intended to help the industry explore the future frequency allocations of HFC to protect its value and viability for many years to come.

The demonstration is designed to illustrate three key points:

1. To show the incredible capacity of the current HFC network
2. To illustrate the ability of the ARRIS C4 CMTS to capitalize on the HFC network’s immense capacity
3. To display the latent flexibility of future DOCSIS CMTS systems that can capitalize on the HFC network’s upstream capacity as well.