Cable Eyes D3.1, MoCA Spectrum Conflict

EXTON, Pa. -- The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), its global arm, the International Society of Broadband Experts™ (ISBE), and the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA®) today announced a new SCTE/ISBE Standards operational practice that is designed to ensure interoperability between MoCA 2.0 and the cable telecommunications industry’s new DOCSIS 3.1 specification for advanced broadband services.

SCTE 235, Operational Practice for the Coexistence of DOCSIS 3.1 Signals and MoCA Signals in the Home Environment, addresses the need to prevent degradation or failure of signals due to a shared frequency range above 1 GHz. The operational practice specifies the proper use of frequencies and filters that network designers, cable industry technical personnel, equipment designers, and others can employ to deliver optimal performance in environments that include both DOCSIS 3.1 and MoCA 2.0.

The expansion of the DOCSIS RF spectrum above 1.2 GHz created shared frequencies and potential conflicts within the 1125-1675 MHz range for DOCSIS 3.1 and MoCA technology. SCTE 235 prescribes sufficient isolation and proper location and required performance of filters to ensure there is no signal leakage from one residence to another and to prevent overload of DOCSIS and MoCA receivers. Among key recommendations is the use of non-overlapping channels and home-run architectures whenever possible.

Based on a technical study by MoCA in cooperation with CableLabs®, SCTE 235 was created by the Special Working Group on HFC Readiness for DOCSIS 3.1 within the Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS) of the ANSI-accredited SCTE/ISBE Standards Program.

“DOCSIS 3.1 and MoCA are important enabling technologies that support more powerful, flexible services,” said Rob Thompson, Director, Network Architecture for Comcast Cable, MoCA Board member, and chair of the Technical Work Group at MoCA. “SCTE 235 is designed to create home environments in which both technologies can perform as intended to meet customer demand.”

“As cable system operators expand their service portfolios, a key role for SCTE/ISBE Standards is to ensure that our members can continue to leverage all available technologies,” said Dean Stoneback, Senior Director of Engineering for SCTE/ISBE. “By working collaboratively with CableLabs and organizations such as MoCA, we can drive solutions that can increase cable’s competitive edge and create value for the consumers the industry serves.”

“Operational Practice for the Coexistence of DOCSIS 3.1 Signals and MoCA Signals in the Home Environment, a multi-year, multi-organizational effort, illustrates how our organizations have worked together to give the cable service providers the knowledge they need to position their networks to best meet the needs of their subscribers,” said Charles Cerino, President of MoCA.

Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE)