ATX Networks has secured a role in Charter Communications' cable network upgrade plan, announcing Monday that the operator has certified its "GigaXtend" family of 1.8GHz amplifiers and nodes.

Certification of the ATX GigaXtend GMC 1.8GHgz amps and GigaXtend GS7 nodes, which was granted by Charter following a battery of internal tests and verification processes, means that the products have been approved for purchase and deployment, Tom McLaughlin, the recently named CEO of ATX, explained.

ATX isn't revealing the exact value of its relationship with Charter related to the operator's network upgrade plan. However, the supplier did receive "extensive, sizable orders" from Charter that were placed earlier on condition of approval, Jay Lee, ATX's chief technology and strategy officer, said.

ATX, he added, has been running a field trial with Charter in parallel to its certification process. "All indications are they want to hit the ground running imminently," Lee added.

Given the number of new amps Charter will be deploying, the operator is expected to prime its supply chain so that its tech partners can get access to the requisite components and ramp up manufacturing.

Charter certification comes as ATX shores up its 1.8GHz strategy. ATX's new amps represent the next generation of technology that the company acquired from Cisco in 2020. ATX also acquired Cisco's GS7000 node technology in 2023.

ATX's approval also arrives as Charter moves ahead with a three-tiered plan to upgrade its hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network.

The initial phase, covering 15% of Charter's HFC network, involves an upgrade to 1.2GHz with an upstream-enhancing "high-split" upgrade using traditional integrated cable modem termination systems (CMTSs). Charter is now wrapping up this phase, which enables multi-gigabit downstream speeds and 1 Gbit/s upstream speeds.

Phase two, now underway, envisions 1.2GHz and high-split upgrades in tandem with a move to a distributed access architecture (DAA) and the use of a virtual CMTS. This portion, which will cover 50% of Charter's HFC footprint, will deliver downstream speeds up to 5 Gbit/s and upstream speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s.

Phase three, focused on 35% of Charter's HFC footprint, will be a full DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade and a move to 1.8GHz alongside the use of DAA and a vCMTS. That will enable downstream speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s and at least 1 Gbit/s upstream.

But regardless of the phase, the expectation is that the operator will start to buy and deploy 1.8GHz technology that is compatible with 1.2GHz plant. Notably, 1.8GHz capabilities and upgrades will likewise put cable operators in position to deploy the Extended Spectrum DOCSIS (ESD) flavor of DOCSIS 4.0. But there is evidently some flexibility there to support Full Duplex (FDX), the other flavor of D4.0.

"The GS7000 platform's design offers the flexibility to support next-generation DOCSIS 4.0 ESD and PON technologies, with the flexibility to deploy 4.0 FDX or unified architectures," Justin Colwell, Charter's EVP, connectivity technology, said in a statement. "The deployment of this equipment is another step towards 10G and connecting more broadband subscribers efficiently and economically."

Demand for 1.8GHz shows signs of life

The ATX milestone at Charter indicates that demand for 1.8GHz technology is starting to heat up. ATX estimates it has already shipped more than 80,000 1.8GHz amplifier units across half a dozen North American cable operators.

"We're seeing momentum" for 1.8GHz technology across both Tier 1s as well as Tier 2/3 operators, McLaughlin said.

Teleste, a supplier that counts Cox Communications among its customers, announced last week that it has shipped more than 10,000 1.8GHz amps. Meanwhile, Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI), which has sparked a new direct-to-cable operator strategy, recently introduced its lineup of 1.8GHz nodes and amps under the "Quantum18" brand.

These latest amps are also "smart" in that they support remote management and feature data transponders that provide more visibility into the performance of the network while also improving network reliability. Vendors are expected to highlight those offerings at this week's SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta. Light Reading will soon publish a feature story on the emerging smart amp market.

ATX's involvement also sheds more light on Charter's vendor picks for HFC upgrades. The operator has already tapped Harmonic as a vCMTS partner. Vecima Networks is also on board to supply Charter with nodes and remote PHY devices.