The longer term is fiber, and the current is Knowledge Over Cable System Interface Specification (DOCSIS). What’s the proper funding profile to get from at the moment to tomorrow? To assist Cable Operators with their funding planning, this weblog shares a number of technique and expertise choices from a CTO’s viewpoint.
Fiber to the Residence (FTTH)
There may be an inevitable shift forward from DOCSIS to passive optical networking (PON). The DOCSIS journey went from 1 Mbps to 1 Gbps, with an extension to 10 Gbps. Fiber is beginning at 1 Gbps, at present at 10 Gbps, and is headed to 100 Gbps. There are a number of Communication Service Suppliers (CSPs) at the moment who’re providing 5×5 Gbps and even 8×8 Gbps service over 10 Gbps symmetrical (XGS) Passive Optical Community (PON). Cable operators deploy each basic HFC in addition to fiber to the house (FTTH), so they’re uniquely positioned to learn from the continued broadband funding.
America authorities is committing $99B into broadband funding over the following a number of years, with many applications focusing on PON (3). By my calculations, there’s sufficient funding to wire a lot of the USA with PON (4). This drastically lowers the economics and accelerates the timeframes of PON. The weblog, Three Causes to Put together for Your Subsequent Broadband Infrastructure Funding, gives extra particulars on how a Cable Operator might be prepared for Federal funding.
Even with this infusion of funding, PON and HFC plant upgrades could also be slowed by provide and labor shortages. A advice might be for operators to put aside a proportion of the federal government funding for schooling and coaching to assist develop the mandatory workforce for PON deployment. This selection can be mentioned by the Cable Business’s schooling affiliation, which is internet hosting Cable-Tec Expo, in Philadelphia this week, the primary in-person gathering in over 2 years.
PON has an fascinating funding story. As soon as put in, subsequent migrations to new expertise might be positioned on completely different wavelengths. Meaning the passive fiber plant doesn’t should be rebuilt as PON strikes from 2.5G, to 10G, to 25/50G, and finally to 100G. A passive fiber plant additionally has fewer upkeep prices. There are even some thrilling PON applied sciences that use fiber faucets as a substitute of splitters (5) that may scale back the quantity of fiber and splicing wanted in a plant.
FTTH = FTTC + Drop Cable
Let’s check out PON from an installer’s viewpoint. There can be one crew that builds the community down the road. That entails laying conduit, blowing fiber bundles by means of them, after which fusion splicing the varied fiber bundles collectively. That’s fiber to the curb (FTTC). Then there’s a subsequent crew that installs the drop fiber to the house and installs the CPE. So, an operator would first construct a FTTC community, after which later add drop cable to create FTTH occurrences.
One public baseline price for FTTC in city is $1000/HHP (so, not together with the drop cable and CPE prices) (6). For a number of dwelling models (MDUs), this is able to be much less, and for rural, this is able to be extra. A tough quantity for a drop cable set up and CPE is $450.
This funding in fiber can then get adjusted to account for:
- how a lot authorities funding is obtained,
- a number of generational use (10G to 100G), and
- the decrease operational prices of fiber.
It’s as much as every operator to do that calculation, however an HFC improve must are available in lower than the adjusted price of fiber.
We now have appeared briefly at PON. Let’s now take a look at the present selections for HFC and DOCSIS and see how they examine. Then you may decide how your broadband is holding up.
Spectrum
Within the cell world, telcos could buy 20 MHz of nationwide spectrum for billions of {dollars}. In HFC, spectrum additionally has a value, and that’s of price of rebuilding and/or retooling of the HFC plant.
HFC plant spectrum is set by the nodes, amps, passives, and high quality of the coax. Whereas it’s conceivable to improve the nodes and amps, upgrading all of the passives similar to faucets is a much bigger time and monetary dedication.
Does it make sense to pay for brand new spectrum when you may unencumber outdated spectrum?
An alternate means so as to add spectrum to DOCSIS is to repurpose the digital video spectrum from the Shifting Photos Skilled Group Transport Stream (MPEG-TS) video to IP video over DOCSIS. The trick is to do that whereas retaining the video income. An entire IP video resolution can be wanted for PON anyway in order that funding will get made. Making use of that IP video resolution to HFC might be a way more cost-effective means of accelerating DOCSIS spectrum than extending the DOCSIS spectrum. Should you preserve MPEG-TS video and pay for extra spectrum for DOCSIS, one essential perspective is that you’re actually investing to maintain video within the spectrum.
Every 6 MHz video channel is equal to virtually 60 Mbps of knowledge spectrum (with 4K OFDM). Meaning 64 channels (384 MHz of spectrum) of video could be price virtually 640 Mbps, which might roughly double the DOCSIS spectrum on an 862 MHz plant.
The DAA Capability Calculator (7) in Determine 1 exhibits the D3.1 spectrum with 64 channels of video current. HFC crops with lower than 1002 MHz of spectrum can be restricted to gigabit companies or much less. In actual fact, the conversion of video spectrum must be prioritized within the areas of the HFC plant which have much less spectrum.
The commentary right here is that HFC, like cell, might be measured by how a lot it prices to acquire spectrum, and the way re-purposing spectrum could also be cheaper than shopping for new spectrum.
DOCSIS 3.1
Whereas DOCSIS 3.1 (D3.1) helps as much as 1218 MHz within the downstream (DS), many HFC crops are nonetheless at 650, 750, 862, or 1002 MHz. Determine 2 exhibits that if all of the video spectrum is transformed to DOCSIS spectrum, these older crops can assist 5 to 9 Gbps within the downstream.
D3.1 additionally helps 42, 85, and 204 MHz return paths. The 204 MHz return path gives about 1.7 Gbps (2 ATDMA plus 2K OFDMA channels), which is able to assist 1 Gbps upstream (US) companies. Mixed with the downstream, that may permit D3.1 to supply 5×1 Mbps to eight×1 Mbps (DSxUS) service choices which have the potential to be aggressive with 2.5G and 10G PON.
85 MHz is one other return path possibility. It should permit roughly 400 Mbps upstream service as a substitute of 1 Gbps, which can be adequate, and matches present Wi-Fi efficiency. It can be finished with the present HFC plant and present cable modem termination techniques (CMTS). A 204 MHz return path requires the Distributed Entry Structure (DAA) or a brand new proprietary digital return path. Additionally be aware {that a} 1218×204 MHz HFC plant has about the identical downstream spectrum as a 1002×42 MHz HFC plant.
The capability of DOCSIS 3.1 has not been absolutely realized in deployment. Realizing the potential of DOCSIS 3.1 inside present HFC plant might show to be very cost-effective.
DOCSIS 4.0 ESD
DOCSIS 4.0 (D4.0) ESD (extended-spectrum DOCSIS) extends the higher frequency of the HFC plant as excessive as 1794 MHz, with future choices of as much as 3 GHz (8)(9). The upside of ESD is barely extra downstream spectrum and the chance to maneuver the return path to 396 MHz or 492 MHz.
The problem of D4.0 ESD is the associated fee and time of changing all of the passives. For each single node, there might be 20 amplifiers and over 100 passive faucets. If passives are to get replaced, it is sensible to switch them with 1794 MHz or increased parts.
D4.0 ESD has additionally been traditionally coupled with the Distant MAC/PHY (RMACPHY) undertaking which primarily places a Layer 2 CMTS within the fiber node. This re-invention of the CMTS footprint has sophisticated the deployment of ESD with out including any vital options over Distant PHY (RPHY).
ESD with RPHY could be a better technical resolution because the RPHY DOCSIS and Video cores could be appropriate, and the Distant PHY Gadget (RPD) would want upgrading. RPHY was invented by Cisco in 2005 (10) and revised in 2013 (11). In evaluating RPHY to the cell 5G structure, the RPD is successfully a “DOCSIS radio.” The RPD is like an open radio entry community (ORAN) radio unit (RU) with the RPHY Cores being akin to the distributed unit (DU)/centralized unit (CU) and 5G Core. RPHY was an inspiration that created the Small Cell Discussion board (SCF) 5G community purposeful utility platform interface (nFAPI) break up 6 (12). The RPHY future roadmap nonetheless has a lot of potential forward of it on decreasing latency for lengthy converged interconnect community (CIN) paths and convergence with cell.
DOCSIS 4.0 ESD requires a major improve to the HFC plant that features nodes, amps, passives, and a few coax. ESD operation is a minor extension to the DOCSIS and RPHY protocols. Coupled with RMACPHY, although, it turns into rather more advanced to roll out.
DOCSIS 4.0 FDX
D4.0 full duplex (FDX) retains the identical downstream spectrum whereas extending the upstream spectrum by sharing a portion of the downstream spectrum with the upstream spectrum. The main upside of FDX is that the plant passives might be retained if there’s already sufficient downstream bandwidth. This lowers the deployment price and deployment instances.
FDX DOCSIS was first invented at Cisco in 2014, shared with the business in 2015, demonstrated a Node/Amp system at ANGA in 2017, and product launched in 2018 (13).
FDX DOCSIS is exclusive from different earlier FDX applied sciences by no less than 3 ways:
- FDX DOCSIS is level to multi-point, whereas earlier FDX applied sciences have been point-to-point. This required the distinctive improvement of interference teams (IGs) and transmission teams (TGs) to managed cable modems (CMs) which might be geographically adjoining to one another.
- FDX DOCSIS operates on an lively plant with a sequence of echo cancellers (ECs) within the connected nodes and amps. Earlier wireline and wi-fi FDX applied sciences have been single hop.
- FDX DOCSIS spectrum is 576 MHz, which is rather more spectrum than wi-fi or telephony applied sciences used
The problem for FDX is the potential price and complexity of echo cancellers (ECs) primarily based on digital signaling processing (DSP) that have to be added to the nodes, amps, and CMs. FDX can also be challenged in an amplified community attributable to a number of ECs and cascaded IGs. Market timing can also be a difficulty. When FDX lastly does turn into accessible for mass market, it have to be in comparison with PON from a long-term funding viewpoint for price and throughput.
Listed below are some fascinating observations on FDX DOCSIS that may be seen in determine 3.
- FDX DOCSIS doesn’t add any downstream spectrum. As a substitute, it retains the DS spectrum when the upstream spectrum is elevated. Thus, the funding in FDX DOCSIS is admittedly for a sooner upstream.
- A 750 MHz plant may gain advantage extra from FDX DOCSIS than a 1002 MHz plant, as a 750 MHz plant has much less downstream spectrum, and can lose the next proportion of its spectrum to an upstream improve.
- A 1002×85 MHz plant with out FDX has 120 MHz (1.2 Gbps) extra most downstream knowledge bandwidth than a plant with FDX enabled, because of the 120 MHz FDX keep-out zone, which permits MPEG-TS video however not DOCSIS.
FDX DOCSIS upgrades the nodes, amps, and CMs with echo cancellers. That is new and complicated expertise, but when there’s already sufficient downstream spectrum, FDX DOCSIS does go away the passives in place, which lowers prices and time to market. Navigating your community’s transformation is a complete end-to-end journey. Cisco may also help to information the way in which.
Abstract
Cable operators have a number of choices accessible:
- Overbuild with PON
- Rebuild with DOCSIS 4.0 ESD
- Improve with DOCSIS 4.0 FDX
- Preserve D3.1, add a 85 or 204 MHz improve, and selectively migrate MPEG video to IP video
These are sorted in descending price, absent of different issues. The elephant within the room is that with US authorities supplemental funding, multi-generational 10G to 100G advantages and competitiveness of fiber, and decrease working prices, this checklist could also be sorted fairly in a different way.
As a result of expertise and aggressive pressures, choices 2 by means of 4 additionally infer deferring fiber funding and deployment to a later cut-off date. The price of fiber just isn’t eradicated, however it’s postponed, which can make sense for some enterprise circumstances however not in others. Overbuilding the HFC plant with PON was not a sensible consideration in Canada and america till the current authorities initiatives. The remainder of the world, together with giant components of Mexico and Europe, have already migrated to a PON first method.
Many of the DOCSIS choices permit roughly a 5×1 Gbps service providing, with D4.0 permitting as much as 5×3 Gbps providing. Whereas this must be enough to compete with an equal or barely increased providing from FTTH, the true choice must be primarily based on the worth of the funding.
Occupied with studying extra? Meet with Cisco at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo this week. I’ll be there together with a number of colleagues to debate this subject and extra. Cisco is proud to be sponsoring the SCTE Awards Luncheon. Can’t make it to Philadelphia this week. Try this video which takes a deeper dive into these subjects.
