CableLabs this week announced that the company has opened the door to DOCSIS 3.1 product certification submissions, meaning that gigabit speeds (and more) over cable are one step closer to fruition. The DOCSIS 3.1 standard provides top speeds of 10 Gbps down, 1 Gbps up -- and will pave the way toward a growing number of cable operators offering gigabit service over coaxial starting early next year.
"We are very excited that cable network operators are now priming their networks for DOCSIS 3.1 readiness through field testing and trials," notes the group. "Early results show that the utilization of high order DOCSIS 3.1 modulation schemes will significantly increase network efficiency."
A growing number of cable operators are currently conducting trials. Earlier this week, Comcast stated it has been testing DOCSIS 3.1 gear since March, and hopes to have the standard fully deployed (and gigabit speeds available) to the company's entire footprint in two to three years.
Commercial grade modems, gateways, and cable modem termination systems (CMTSs) should then start to appear early next year, followed by relatively quick and inexpensive upgrades by carriers. What these next-generation DOCSIS 3.1 speeds will cost you, the consumer, isn't yet clear.
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