Singapore’s doing it and the US isn’t too far behind. In a CED webcast this morning on DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding, Motorola’s Mike Cookish and Starhub’s Thomas EE talked about how it’s possible to deliver bandwidth at 100 Mbps over a cable network. There’s no getting around the laws of physics to increase the bandwidth possible on a single channel, but it is possible to bond channels together to deliver more capacity to a home cable modem. This channel bonding is part of the final DOCSIS 3.0 spec, and CableLabs will start certifying equipment for DOCSIS 3.0 this October.
For operators wondering if they need 100 Mbps, Starhub says it has seen an increase in subscription data services as it has improved its bandwidth capacity.
Filed under: Bandwidth, Cable, DOCSIS 3.0, Fiber, Networks
It seems you’d need multiple coax drops into the home to then bond the channels. This presumes the local runs on the polls can handle it, and still requires high capacity (read: fiber) back-haul to the local distribution point.
In the end, this seems more like a stop-gap. A way for cable companies to stretch the life of the installed plant to compete with fiber, before fiber takes over into the home. Fiber is just a better technical solution, much more elegant.
[...] a quickie explanation: DOCSIS 3.0 is a specification that incorporates something called channel-bonding technology to increase upstream and downstream cable bandwidth. The spec describes downstream data rates of [...]
This is more about putting multiple ‘tuners’ in a cable modem so it can use multiple channels across the available spectrum. Its easier to add multiple tuners than it is to have a wideband tuner.
[...] sense after a little percolating. Cable PON is just one approach for cable operators looking to meet future demands for ever-more bandwidth. Also check out today’s announcement with Vyyo. The testing with Motorola equipment produced [...]
[...] you ask? Why Motorola’s! And Vyyo’s too. Starhub is offering speeds of up to 100 Mbps with DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding. Interestingly, I learned just yesterday that channel bonding alone doesn’t increase overall [...]
[...] Comments The broadband speed wars are on, and while US offerings don’t compare to those of our overseas brethren, a quick review of recent news at Broadband Reports shows that we’re getting a little [...]