DOCSIS 3.1: Coming to a City Near You!

Concerns from across the country; DOCSIS 3.1 Basics and Beyond

Todd Gingrass, Cable and Media Solutions

Todd Gingrass

Recently over the last couple of months I’ve been on the road presenting the topic of DOCSIS 3.1 to different SCTE chapters throughout the country.  All were well attended, with many having multiple presentation sessions. Attendees ranged from large Tier 1 cable operators to small regional systems with various business challenges. Many questions and concerns were discussed, but a few common themes appeared at each event. 

1. How the changes of adding a new encoding method, OFDM, to the past methods of TDMA/ATDMA/SCDMA would change their day to day activities and what they would need to learn. 
2. The new ability for the system to increase and decrease the modulation level automatically based on the signal quality on the RF plant

We discussed these hot points in detail and provided the audience with a better understanding of the advantages of moving forward using these new methods. Some other concerns we were able to address were:

• RF Plant return path bandwidth changes to 85 MHz and above and the associated migration scenarios
• Potential for new meters and troubleshooting tools
• Addition of powerful new RF plant performance statistics built into upcoming DOCSIS 3.1 certified modems and CMTS'

OFDM detailed view

Overall, the audiences were able to see that while new techniques and methods for monitoring and maintaining the systems would need to be adopted, the gains from the changes would be great and allow them do their daily job better and faster along with helping to improve subscriber experiences and satisfaction.

 Watch for Todd at your next SCTE chapter training or email him directly to learn more about DOCSIS 3.1