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CableLabs Releases DOCSIS 3.1 Specification

As promised earlier this month CableLabs today released the DOCSIS 3.1 specification, which should be a cornerstone in building more efficient and faster cable networks over the next few years.

"As soon as prototypes are available, CableLabs will facilitate interoperability testing of products at its labs to help equipment manufacturers prepare for certification and qualification," Cablelabs said in a statement.

DOCSIS 3.1 is expected to be about 50% more efficient than DOCSIS 3.0, courtesy of the use of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and low density parity-check (LDPC) Forward Error Correction (FEC) technology. 3.1 will not only support larger spectrum bands, it's expected to be able to scale in order to offer downstream speeds of 10 Gbps and upstream speeds of 1 Gbps (shared).

However, initial DOCSIS 3.1 modems are "only" expected to support 4-5 Gbps downstream and 1 Gbps upstream, in large part due to the fact they'll be hybrid modems also tasked with supporting the DOCSIS 3.0 standard. Trials are expected to begin early next year, though it's likely you won't see DOCSIS 3.1 modems commercially available in any volume until 2015.

Those of you interested in taking a closer look at the specs can find them here.
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kc9sqr
join:2011-11-10
Rockford, IL

kc9sqr

Member

Docsis 3.1

This looks to me to be the cable industries answer to google fiber
xenophon
join:2007-09-17

xenophon

Member

Re: Docsis 3.1

If it gets out of the lab. I'm sure the research could always come without Google but will they deploy and compete with Google on price. I would guess if Google and smaller Gbit players didn't come into play they wouldn't have bothered.
Pervbear
join:2013-08-20

Pervbear to kc9sqr

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to kc9sqr
Like the cable industries would even remotely get close to these speeds any time speeds. Well maybe if we were out of the states sure but the majority of the people on the site are not. Maybe in areas where google fiber or other 1gbit providers they might be offered at 10 times the cost.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

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In the couple cities Google Fiber is offered in maybe. But in most of the US, this is to compete with FiOS and other FTTH networks.
betam4x
join:2002-10-12
Nashville, TN

betam4x to kc9sqr

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to kc9sqr
Wiring our offices with 10 gbps ethernet...over fiber...just throwin it out there.

Cthen
Premium Member
join:2004-08-01
Detroit, MI

Cthen to kc9sqr

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said by kc9sqr:

This looks to me to be the cable industries answer to google fiber

Nope, if cable companies came close to Google and/or Fios speeds, Google and Verizon were smart enough to invest into their networks to turn up the speed even higher to leave cable in the dust even if by some miracle cable actually maxed this out.
davidhoffman
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join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA

1 recommendation

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I think this was in the works prior to Google Fiber. There are other countries that use the DOCSIS specifications and they were asking for a response to the FTTP and FTTH in their countries. The problems that exist in deploying the DOCSIS 3.0 upstream led in part to calls for a radical overhaul of the DOCSIS specification. DOCSIS 3.1 should really be called DOCSIS 4.0 considering the significant changes from DOCSIS 3.0.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080 to kc9sqr

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to kc9sqr
More like the cable industry's answer to collusion with Telcos to provide cellco backbone more then anything (at metered rates). If you think this is going to give you gigabit speeds under $100 to residential customers anytime soon, your mistaken. You may not even see anything offered under D3.1 hardware until late 2014 and it will be unaffordable as can be. It could take another 4 years for 300 megabit speeds to be common and affordable at the rate of "innovation" let alone 500 and 1000.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536 to kc9sqr

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to kc9sqr
hardly. cablecos aren't going to bastardize their LUCRATIVE biz products by offering google fibre type speeds.

more it'll be used to load nodes even heavier.
Expand your moderator at work

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

1 recommendation

tshirt

Premium Member

I'm thinking...

...this is why the ComCast network guys are pushing D3 equipment so hard, because D3 and D3.1 can easily co-exist and 3.1 early adoptors will have speeds available only to FTTH today, in just a couple years, over the HUGE cable footprint.... perhaps before Google can finish their limited build outs.
IMHO covering MOST areas of the country with 100/20 is far more important than offering a few million symmetrical Gb service
This offers high speed to most and ultra high to those with the budget for it, within a short time frame.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

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Re: I'm thinking...

if only comcast can make there TV site better.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

Awesome

Cable is really stepping up to keep pace or exceed fibre at a lower cost.
I think Google's move is turning out to be brilliant with FiOS shutting down expansion and regional players stepping up....

Coax as the last mile is just proving to be a great technology.

The big loser in this will be DSL. They will need to do something there but for now IF you can get a decent connection it works. Maybe fixed wireless fixes the problem..
Pervbear
join:2013-08-20

Pervbear

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Re: Awesome

Sure they are as we wont seen awesome speeds at a fair prices in ages.

mixdup
join:2003-06-28
Alpharetta, GA

mixdup to elefante72

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There are technologies out there to squeeze more out of copper twisted pair, but AT&T, and to a lesser extent Verizon, are *cheap*. It's nice that cable is stepping up to the plate, let's just hope that caps and other "network management" practices keep up with the pace of advancement as well.
davidhoffman
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join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA

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The technology to bring VDSL2 triple play services, with a 100Mbps symmetrical internet connection, to every house with POTS exists today. The telephone companies have to be willing to make deeper fiber optic installations into their networks. That action would satisfy an enormous percentage of current DSL users for a long time. For many premises with POTS service capabilities, this can be done without ever going onto the subscriber's property. To get to 1Gbps or 10Gbps in the future would require a genuine FTTH or FTTP run. But it would be fairly short addition, since the previous installation of the VDSL2 services should get the fiber within 100 meters of the premises.
Bengie25
join:2010-04-22
Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Bengie25 to elefante72

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Coax is "working" but not "great". 10gb/s will be consuming near 1/2 of the possible bandwidth of the coax and it is not a simple nor cheap upgrade.

Comcast has paid more upgrading to DOCSIS3.0 than the cost of upgrading to FTTH.

By the time this 10gb coax starts making its way into the market, we will be seeing 10gb fiber, which is a simple upgrade.

Just wait for the 100gb and 1tb fiber. Probably 15 years from now. They already have fully working prototypes of cheap 2tb/s fiber links that are only pennies to create.

DOCSIS3.1 is probably going to be something like a $10k head unit, when fiber will get 1tb for effectively free.

Coax is going quite further than I thought it ever could, but it is already more expensive and slower than the fiber alternative.
BlueC
join:2009-11-26
Minneapolis, MN

BlueC

Member

Re: Awesome

I highly doubt Comcast's D3 upgrades were more costly than running fiber to each home. If anything, it was very cost-effective, especially with a modular CMTS and edge QAMs.

I also don't think you'll see 10gbps fiber to the home anytime soon. A lot of providers have just rolled out 1gbps infrastructure and that will be meant to last for a number of years. You will only see 10gbps when greenfield deployments begin using it, and we have yet to see a single 10gbps residential deployment.

The existing providers will wait awhile before upgrading, they still have to get a return on their original investment, and these investments aren't cheap.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

Re: Awesome

It was probably a bigger cost going from 1 to 2... since there were "problems". 2 to 3 had fewer problems and cost overruns (which was a requirement of the cablecos). Let's not forget there were COMPETING non-standard cablemodem modulations such as Narad's patented modems promising speeds up to 1 gigabit. Nowadays they're entrenched in doing FTTX networks. IIRC Comcast spent btw ~23 and 65 billion dollars on D3 over the last 7 years servicing MILLIONS of customers.

They are probably going to get 10 years out of 3.0 (2016/7 phaseout) since it was deployed late 2006 at the earliest.. we're in year 7 now (yes, mainstream availability was probably a few years later). Much more depends on what Telcos Verizon and AT&T do. Google isn't yet a threat, except in the PR world as having the fastest speeds at the lowest prices. There isn't much proof that Google's deployments have shifted timetables for docsis or fttx deployment much. I'd like them to breach a "sensitive dense" market in the northeast before coming to that conclusion.

anonome
@verizon.net

anonome

Anon

"Cornerstone"...

Is that going to be the new "sexy" name?

Kasoah
join:2013-08-20
Merced, CA

Kasoah

Member

Re: "Cornerstone"...

Forward error correction? Isn't that going to raise ping?
davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA

davidhoffman

Premium Member

Re: "Cornerstone"...

It probably will, but what applications will be so severely impacted by the increase that it becomes intolerable to use the application. Streaming of live video? I think high quality buffering takes care of that. Video or audio conferencing? We survive with Earth orbiting satellite linked conferences today. Remote operation of machines? We manipulate rovers on Mars with remote command procedures. Gaming? There are some gamers who will testify under oath in open court that they can use video games successfully with satellite ISP services. Isn't this similar to the theoretical effect ECC RAM has on computer performance, compared to non-ECC RAM?

anonome
@verizon.net

anonome to Kasoah

Anon

to Kasoah
Well, his "desire" is to raise... something:

»Cable's Chief Lobbyist Wants Sexier Name for DOCSIS 3.1 [53] comments

ground
join:2008-01-16
Toronto, ON

ground

Member

speeds of 10 Gbps and upstream speeds of 1 Gbps...

and 2GB caps.
Wow! I can't wait for DOCSIS 3.1, so I can reach my limit in less than 2 seconds!!
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: speeds of 10 Gbps and upstream speeds of 1 Gbps...

which cable ISP has a a 2 GB cap?

ground
join:2008-01-16
Toronto, ON

ground

Member

Re: speeds of 10 Gbps and upstream speeds of 1 Gbps...

Rogers Cable in Canada had Ultra-Lite package with a 2GB cap until the entire package was phased out in favour of a more expensive "Lite" with its 15GB per month.

www.dslreports.com/faq/rogers?text=1

TWC_User
join:2013-07-31
Los Angeles

TWC_User

Member

While at AT&T...

They are still using DSL, technology which is already decades old... I'd be surprised if they are providing 100mbps+ in most areas.
Ostracus
join:2011-09-05
Henderson, KY

Ostracus

Member

EuroDocsis.

I'm sure this will help our European friends with EuroDocsis.