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160Mbps/120Mbps DOCSIS 3.0 specification announced

# 31 August 2006, 19:08 by Frank

CableLabs, the research arm of the cable industry, officially issued Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) 3.0 earlier this month, which claims downstream data rates of 160 Mbps or higher and upstream data rates of 120 Mbps or higher over coaxial.

The spec achieves these speeds by using channel bonding for both the upstream and downstream directions. DOCSIS 3.0 also integrates support for IPv6. Some vendors got to review the spec under NDA earlier this year and last month CableLabs hosted a week long interoperability event to bring together the vendors to develop DOCSIS 3.0 products. The interop event included ARRIS, BigBand Networks, Broadcom, Casa Systems, Conexant Systems, Filtronic Signal Solutions, NETGEAR, Scientific Atlanta a Cisco company, Cisco Linksys, and Cisco Systems.

“This set of specifications will lead to cable modem products that greatly strengthen cable’s package of offerings to consumers, enabling delivery of services that may not even be imagined today,” said Tony Werner, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Liberty Global, Inc. “Needless to say, these specifications advance our competitive position in the IP space,” added Werner, who is chairman of the DOCSIS Business Team at CableLabs.

David Fellows, Chief Technology Officer of US cableco Comcast said: “IPv6 implementation is a critical tool for our industry as we seek both to expand our triple play offerings and to extend into new areas. It also will allow cable operators to effectively manage the proliferation of devices that are capturing consumer interest, including portable media players, cellular phones, gaming consoles, PDAs and others.”

How long it will be before ntl Telewest brings DOCSIS 3.0 products to the market is anyone’s guess, but it will probably be several years in light of the standard just being announced. There would also be significant network upgrades needed to support end user speeds of 160 Mbps downstream and 120 Mbps upstream. We’re one step closer though, with the announcement of the standard!

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