Can Cable Beat 5G?

Cable leaders will make the case for their new 10G initiative at Light Reading's Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies event in Denver next month.

Alan Breznick, Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

February 11, 2019

5 Min Read
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Can cable beat 5G wireless with 10G wireline?

That looms as the biggest question of the year for the cable industry to answer as it ramps up its new 10-Gigabit initiative to counter the onslaught of fifth-generation cellular technology rollouts by the big telcos, which are promoting 5G as their way to bring multi-gigabit speeds to consumers and businesses. Cable's unified 10G drive, now formally known as 10 Gigabit Full Duplex DOCSIS, aims to smash the hype around 5G by showing how much faster cable's hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) networks can be through the delivery of symmetrical speeds as high as 10 Gbit/s. (See Cable Leaders Hammer 5G 'Hype' and NCTA Trademarks '10G' .)

Fresh off the official launch of their 10G drive at CES in Las Vegas last month, cable leaders are now spreading the word about it far and wide. In announcements, speeches, press releases, interviews, blog posts and the like, they are promoting the idea that the technology behind it, based on the specs for Full Duplex DOCSIS 3.1 emerging from CableLabs , is rock-solid and already proven out, not some wild science experiment.

"This will work," Tony Werner, president of Comcast Cable's Technology, Product, Xperience group, predicted on a special 10G panel at CES covered by my colleague Jeff Baumgartner. "Nothing new has to be invented," added Phil McKinney, president and CEO of CableLabs, speaking on the same panel. "The technical risk is near zero to get from 1-Gig to 10-Gig." (See CES 2019: Cable's 10G Tech 'Will Work'.)

With such key industry equipment and chip makers as Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS), Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM), Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), MaxLinear Corp. and Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) already lined up, cable leaders expect early field trials of the technology to start next year. After that, CableLabs will begin device certifications, "It's not far away," McKinney proclaimed.

In addition to the prominent vendors, a dozen or so major MSOs around the world have committed to rolling out Full Duplex DOCSIS once the equipment for it is ready. Besides Comcast, the list includes Charter Communications Inc. , Cox Communications Inc. , Liberty Global Inc. (Nasdaq: LBTY), Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD), Rogers Communications Inc. (Toronto: RCI) and Shaw Communications Inc. , among others, according to the cable consortium. (See Cable Industry Gets Behind '10G' .)

But, even with the technology seemingly well tested and so many industry titans behind the effort, ramping up from today's 1 Gig downstream speeds to tomorrow's 10-Gig symmetrical service will still be no easy matter. Critical challenges still remain, including the need for cable operators to pull fiber much deeper in their access networks and eliminate all the amplifiers between the home and the node. While cable engineers are now working on ways around this requirement -- including the development of a Full Duplex Amplifier that could deliver similar capacity benefits in N+1 or N+2 scenarios – they're not there yet. Even then, many cablecos would still have to install a lot more fiber in their plant to make it work.

For these reasons, 10G will likely be the biggest subject tackled when we convene Light Reading's annual Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference in Denver next month (March 12-14). Now entering its 12th year, Cable Next-Gen will focus on the tech opportunities and challenges facing the industry. Top executives from more than a dozen leading cable and video providers and industry groups will explore the latest technologies, examine how they are shaping the industry and craft a roadmap for cable’s future.

Besides tackling 5G and 10G, we’ll look at DOCSIS 3.1, Coherent Optics, Distributed Access Architecture, Fiber Deep, FTTH, network virtualization, OTT video, cloud-based services, IoT, WiFi, cellular backhaul, small cells and Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), among other topics. Plus, as usual, we’ll throw a surprise or two your way.

Our long list of featured speakers is headed by CableLabs' McKinney, who will spell out the 10G program in the opening keynote address. Other headliners include: Jimshade Chaudhari, VP, Product Management, Sling TV; Jeff Finkelstein, Executive Director, Advanced Technology, Cox Communications; Steve Williams, VP, DOCSIS, Charter Communications; Jeff Lewis, VP, Data Product Management, Comcast Business; Tim Burke, VP, Strategic Technology, Liberty Global; JR Walden, SVP and CTO, Mediacom; and Jon Pederson, CTO, Midco.

Get your strategic roadmap to the technology trends and business cases shaping the cable industry! Join us for the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies event in Denver on March 12-14. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to network with and learn from industry experts -- cable operators and communications service providers get in free!

The prime speaking roster also includes: David Hicks, VP, Engineering & Operations, Cox Communications; Jody Hagerman, Director, Product Management, Comcast Business; Rasmus Aveskogh, Chief Architect, Com Hem; Kjeld Balmer, Head, Network Technology, Stofa; Peter Brown, Director, Product Engineering, Cable One; Mitch Weinraub, Director, Advanced Video Products, Dish Network; Tom Williams, VP, Engineering and Technology, Schurz Communications; Alan Ewing, Executive Director, CBRS Alliance; Timon Sloane, VP, Marketing & Ecosystem, Open Networking Foundation; and Brett Sappington, Senior Director, Research, Parks Associates. And more are still on the way.

So please mark your calendars for March 12-14 and join us in Denver for the latest edition of Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies. Sign up here to register for the event.

The Rockies are calling. Looking forward to seeing you all in the Mile High City.

— Alan Breznick, Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading

About the Author

Alan Breznick

Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

Alan Breznick is a business editor and research analyst who has tracked the cable, broadband and video markets like an over-bred bloodhound for more than 20 years.

As a senior analyst at Light Reading's research arm, Heavy Reading, for six years, Alan authored numerous reports, columns, white papers and case studies, moderated dozens of webinars, and organized and hosted more than 15 -- count 'em --regional conferences on cable, broadband and IPTV technology topics. And all this while maintaining a summer job as an ostrich wrangler.

Before that, he was the founding editor of Light Reading Cable, transforming a monthly newsletter into a daily website. Prior to joining Light Reading, Alan was a broadband analyst for Kinetic Strategies and a contributing analyst for One Touch Intelligence.

He is based in the Toronto area, though is New York born and bred. Just ask, and he will take you on a power-walking tour of Manhattan, pointing out the tourist hotspots and the places that make up his personal timeline: The bench where he smoked his first pipe; the alley where he won his first fist fight. That kind of thing.

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