Omdia's Jaimie Lenderman on how cable is speeding ahead on network upgrades

Speaking before a packed house at last week's Cable Next-Gen Technologies and Strategies event in Denver, Omdia analyst Jaimie Lenderman presented fresh data on how cable operators are pushing ahead with access network upgrades.

Lenderman, research manager and principal analyst, broadband access, at Omdia (a sister company to Light Reading), said a sizable majority of the 60 cable operators across five regions that took part in a recent survey said they are deploying or plan to deploy a distributed access architecture (DAA), a virtual cable modem termination system (vCMTS) or DOCSIS 4.0. The survey also provided new insights into the way passive optical networking (PON) is becoming a well-used weapon in cable's arsenal.

Watch the video above for Lenderman's presentation. Click the closed caption button inside the player for an unedited transcript.

Here's a snapshot of findings from the Omdia survey:

• 48% of surveyed operators said they have partially or fully adopted DAA, and 49% said they plan to adopt DAA
• 40% said they have partially or fully adopted a vCMTS, with 55% saying they plan to adopt the technology
• 32% said they expect to start deploying DOCSIS 4.0 within 12 months, and 46% said they expect to within 24 months; 11% stated they had no plans to deploy D4.0
• 35% of respondents said they have already deployed PON in some shape or form
• Competitive advantage, at 54%, was the top reason given for deploying PON, while 27% cited lower operating expenses

"I think we can all agree that, whether you [run] an HFC-based network or a PON-based network, the more fiber you can roll out the lower your operational costs can be," Lenderman said.

She said Omdia forecasts the cable equipment market to enjoy a 2.1% compound annual growth rate through 2028.

"A lot of the work is being done now," Lenderman said. "2024, 2025, 2026 are really going to be peak years for the market as DOCSIS 4.0 is rolled out, as DAA is rolled out and as virtual CMTS is rolled out."

Related posts:

• Cable Next-Gen 2023 recap: Operators choose their own adventure
• In cable, FDX vs. ESD debate continues
• With 83,000 DAA nodes deployed, Comcast's 10G network upgrade remains on track

— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading