Cable networks will play catch-up with DOCSIS 4.0 modems and gateways

DOCSIS 4.0 will put cable operators in position to deliver multi-gigabit speeds, lower latencies and improved reliability on their widely deployed hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks. But this generation of DOCSIS is markedly different from its predecessor, DOCSIS 3.1, in that operators will seed their markets with D4.0 modems and gateways in great numbers before DOCSIS 4.0 network upgrades are wrapped up.

"It's a unique time in the generations of DOCSIS," Charles Cheevers, CTO of Vantiva, said last week on the sidelines of Light Reading's Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies event in Denver.

"This [generation] might be a little different in that the 4.0 devices might starting rolling out in DOCSIS 3.1 mode initially until the network catches up with it," added Cheevers, who joined Vantiva in January via the company's acquisition of CommScope's Home Networks unit.

That scenario will put operators in position to deliver faster downstream speeds by taking advantage of the additional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) channels that this new generation of D4.0 customer premises equipment (CPE) will support.

The same could be said for a wave of coming next-generation DOCSIS 3.1 modems that also will support additional OFDM channels but can't support the "ultra high" splits that DOCSIS 4.0 can. That's a tradeoff that operators will need to make, Cheevers said.

Wi-Fi 8 is coming

Though Wi-Fi 7 is a perfect pairing for DOCSIS 4.0, Cheevers noted that Wi-Fi 8 is already in the works.

He views Wi-Fi 8 as a standard that will initially be used to support dense enterprises and larger venues through the standard's new "ultra-high reliability" capabilities.

Below is a snapshot of topics that Cheevers discusses in this video (click the closed captioning button on the player for a lightly edited transcript):