DOCSIS, which stands for “Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification,” is a set of standards used in cable television networks to transmit data and provide broadband internet services. This standard has evolved tremendously over the years, and today, its most exciting development is DOCSIS 4.0 (D4.0).
The Growth of Network Consumption is Irreversible
Although the COVID-19 epidemic has become a thing of the past, the impact of this pandemic on people’s living habits is irreversible. Downstream (DS) and upstream (US) consumption has skyrocketed by people sitting at home for more hours per day than past. Behind this reason is more video streaming, remote working and learning, virtual video gatherings, and gaming.
D4.0 Felicitate the 10G Future
D4.0 supports up to 10 Gbps speeds downstream capacity and up to 6 Gbps upstream capacity, easily allowing for multi-gigabit symmetric services over HFC networks. With D4.0, we’ve been able to significantly increase upstream capacity which will enable multi-gigabit symmetrical services for residential and business services!
| DOCSIS 1.0 | DOCSIS 1.1 | DOCSIS 2.0 | DOCSIS 3.0 | DOCSIS 3.1 | DOCSIS 4.0 | |
| Highlights | Initial cable broadband technology, high speed internet access | Added voice over IP service, gaming, streaming | Higher upstream speed, capacity for symmetric services | Greatly enhances capacity, channel bonding, IPv6 | Capacity and efficiency progression, OFDM, wideband channel | Symmetrical streaming and increased upload speeds |
| Downstream Capacity | 40 Mbps | 40 Mbps | 40 Mbps | 1 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| Upstream Capacity | 10 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 30 Mbps | 200 Mbps | 1-2 Gbps | 6 Gbps |
| First Specification Issue Date | 1996 | 1999 | 2001 | 2006 | 2013 | 2019 |
Extend the HFC into Next Decade
As the first DOCSIS standard to incorporate both Full Duplex DOCSIS (FDX) and Extended Spectrum DOCSIS (ESD), D4.0 allows us to increase the efficiency of this existing infrastructure without the need to lay more cable to reinvigorating today’s HFC networks. While FDX uses existing spectrum agnostically for both upstream and downstream bandwidth, ESD advocates for extending the available spectrum and dedicating certain parts of it for upstream or downstream traffic. In other words, FDX prioritizes the downstream while providing a strategy for expanding upstream spectrum, while ESD borrows from the downstream to allocate more spectrum to upstream capacity. With these two primary pathways, operators can phase in an optimal migration path that extends the useful lifespan of today’s HFC network while gradually transforming it into its desired form as a Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network for the future.
Reference:
https://www.cablelabs.com/technologies/docsis-4-0-technology