DOCSIS 3.1, the latest evolution in data over cable service interface specification, is now certified by CableLabs to run in modems from five key suppliers. The modems will be capable of providing multi-gigabit Internet speeds and interoperability amongst products.
Products from Askey, Castlenet, Netgear, Technicolor and Ubee Interactive have all been approved to run DOCSIS 3.1. The certification means the multiple-system operator focused models are capable of operating across platforms and are ready to be sold to high-speed Internet customers.
“The DOCSIS 3.1 specifications assure the cable industry’s leadership in the delivery of broadband services,” CableLabs President and CEO Phil McKinney said. “This represents the most rapid development and implementation cycle for a broadband technology development program ever delivered by CableLabs. Development of the initial DOCSIS 3.1 specifications to product certification has occurred in half the time of previous DOCSIS specifications.”
Network vendors Arris, Cisco Systems, Casa Systems, Huawei and Harmonic are all working on network gear to support DOCSIS 3.1. Comcast since last year has been testing its capabilities in Philadelphia with plans to expand those tests in the near future. Comcast likes the modem’s backward compatibility with its existing hybrid fiber-coaxial network.
“The test used the standard cable connections that we have in homes across the country,” Comcast’s EVP and CTO Tony Werner said in a blog post late last year. “All we needed was a new modem, a software upgrade to the device that serves that neighborhood and a few good engineers.”
After the Philadelphia experiment, Comcast said it will begin trials in Northern California and Atlanta. CableLabs expects the D3.1 products to be available in early 2016. Comcast says it will begin offering the new DOCSIS modems to its customers by late 2016.
The list of certified products include the Askey TCG310, Castlenet’s Optimum 601, Netgear’s CM1000, Technicolor’s TC4400-XM6 and Ubee’s DVMA20.
The upgraded modems will be crucial for new technologies including augmented reality, ultra-high definition 4K television, tele-existence, medical imaging and advanced gaming.
