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DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems being tested

22 November 2007 11:37 by Rich "vurbal" Fiscus | 3 comments

Starting next year it may be possible for cable internet providers to offer speeds as high as 100Mbps in some areas thanks to new cable modem technology. CableLabs is currently testing modems from five manufacturers that are intended to meet the DOCSIS 3.0 specifications.

Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications, or DOCSIS, is an ever evolving set of standards developed by a number of cable modem manufacturers, as well as certification authority CableLabs. Although DOCSIS 2.0 has been around since 2001, most cable internet providers haven't gotten past adopting v1.1. The primary difference between the two is a higher upload capacity for DOCSIS 2.0. Since most cable companies only offer plans with relatively low upload speeds - as little as 10% of download speed in some cases, the only time this becomes an issue currently is when VOIP capabilities are added.

Certainly Bandwidth limitations are becoming a problem for broadband internet providers, who increasingly see customers looking to use the Internet for Streaming and downloading video, sometimes in high definition, and often during peak internet usage hours. At the same time companies like Verizon and AT&T are building data networks from the ground up which offer some consumers speeds slightly higher than what the DOCSIS 1.1 or 2.0 standards allow. DOCSIS 3.0 allows for much higher speeds, as well as IPv6 network management support.

Of course speed doesn't exist in a vacuum. Accordig to Gartner analyst Patti Reali "Cable's got to be ready with a [comparable] product that's not going to break the bank."

Unfortunately in some areas this isn't necessarily possible. One limitation of cable internet is its reliance on a carrying many subscribers' data on the same cable. While this is highly efficient for delivering video services where identical data is transmitted to every customer, it can severely limit individual users' throughput in areas with high population density.

Cable companies also have to worry about video services like AT&T's U-verse, which threaten to compete with cable television, giving current cable internet customers another reason to consider switching.

DOCSIS 3.0 technology should be ready for deployment some time next year. Expect to see it deployed first in areas where Verizon or AT&T have entered the market with their fiber optic networks.

Source: Ars Technica

Permalink to this article

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AT&T's predictions for U-verse expansion lower (6 November 2007)

Canadian ISP admits limiting P2P traffic (5 November 2007)

Verizon's FiOS is making cable companies nervous (24 October 2007)

AT&T unable to secure statewide franchise for U-Verse in Connecticut (15 October 2007)

CableLabs approves DTCP-IP content protection (23 August 2007)

AT&T and Verizon betting on video services (20 July 2007)

Comcast talks about 150 Megabit Cable technology (10 May 2007)

Verizon and Movielink's new movie 'rental' service (21 April 2005)

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Discuss this article!
paragon32 (Newbie) 23 November 2007 20:42
Cable speed is going to have to come at a price. You're going to find a very limited market for $100.00+ a month service especially if if Comcast and other cable providers are going to limit bandwith as they have on the current connections. You might get some day trader who want that speed, but the fraction of a second I'm going to browse a web pages isn't going to justify the cost. For this to actually work, they'll either have to relax bandwith limitations or offered teired access. If not this will be a huge waste of money to roll out. [ + quote]
borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 20 December 2007 4:24
It is great to have these faster speeds however i would like to see some of these speeds come to Australia however i would like to see a more reasonable price. [ + quote]
limpfro (Inactive) 20 December 2007 4:36
Expect Holo-Decks before we get these speeds at a reasonable price. [ + quote]