Cable-Tec Expo: DOCSIS 4.0, PON, open RAN and the urge to converge

Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner and Mike Dano join Omdia's Jaimie Lenderman to wrap up their big takeaways from this week's high-energy SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in the Mile High City.

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Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Danoand 1 more

October 20, 2023

At a Glance

  • Why this year's Cable-Tec Expo had much more buzz than in recent years (1:00)
  • Amid initial rollouts and new products, DOCSIS 4.0 has graduated to the real world (3:00)
  • How and why the cable industry is keying on open RAN, fiber and a broader convergence strategy (4:45)

DENVER – CABLE-TEC EXPO 2023 – With many cable operators now going full steam ahead on network upgrades and the industry making significant strides with the speedy DOCSIS 4.0 platform, this year's SCTE-hosted event in Denver had a lively vibe that many showgoers said they hadn't experienced in several years.

Cable-Tec Expo 2023 Denver crowd

Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner and Mike Dano connect with Omdia analyst Jaimie Lenderman on the show floor to get a grip on the high-energy infusing this year's big cable tech event and take a stab at what was driving it.

They offer some of their top takeaways across areas such as DOCSIS 4.0, the industry's ongoing 10G initiative, the increasing popularity of passive optical networking (PON), how open radio access network (RAN) is intersecting with cable ops and how the industry is turning more attention to broader network and service convergence strategies.

For a lightly edited transcript, please click the caption button in the video toolbar.

Here are a few topics we cover:

  • Why this year's Cable-Tec Expo had much more buzz than in recent years (1:00)

  • Amid initial rollouts and new products, DOCSIS 4.0 has graduated to the real world (3:00)

  • How and why the cable industry is intersecting with open RAN (4:45)

  • NCTA CEO Michael Powell delivered some choice words as the FCC looks to restore net neutrality rules under a more stringent Title II classification (7:30)

  • PON's popularity is on the rise as operators' access networks become more agnostic and are not focused only on the next generation of hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) (9:00)

About the Author(s)

Jeff Baumgartner

Senior Editor, Light Reading

Jeff Baumgartner is a Senior Editor for Light Reading and is responsible for the day-to-day news coverage and analysis of the cable and video sectors. Follow him on X and LinkedIn.

Baumgartner also served as Site Editor for Light Reading Cable from 2007-2013. In between his two stints at Light Reading, he led tech coverage for Multichannel News and was a regular contributor to Broadcasting + Cable. Baumgartner was named to the 2018 class of the Cable TV Pioneers.

Mike Dano

Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading

Mike Dano is Light Reading's Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies. Mike can be reached at [email protected], @mikeddano or on LinkedIn.

Based in Denver, Mike has covered the wireless industry as a journalist for almost two decades, first at RCR Wireless News and then at FierceWireless and recalls once writing a story about the transition from black and white to color screens on cell phones.

Jaimie Lenderman

Senior Analyst, Omdia

Jaimie Lenderman provides support and insight to key audiences, with quarterly market share analysis, annual forecasts, vendor profiles, and specialized consulting projects. Jaimie's key research topic areas include FTTx PON, DSL, Gfast, CMTS/CCAP, DOCSIS, DAA and next-generation capabilities. Jaimie joined Ovum in May 2017. She previously worked at IHS Markit and held roles in the public policy and new home construction sectors.

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