Comcast last week announced the achievement of another 10G technical milestone, conducting the first-ever live lab test of the Full Duplex DOCSIS system-on-chip (SOC) device that can deliver multigigabit upload and download speeds over its hybrid-fiber coaxial (HFC) network.
Built by Broadcom, the device is expected to become the world’s first production silicon to be developed using the DOCSIS 4.0 Full Duplex standard, which represents an evolutionary leap forward in the ability to deliver ultra-fast speeds over HFC networks. One of the most important breakthroughs in the DOCSIS 4.0 standard is the ability to use network spectrum more efficiently, allowing operators to dramatically increase upstream speeds without sacrificing downstream spectrum to do so.
A key advantage of DOCSIS 4.0 Full Duplex is that it establishes a foundation for operators to deliver multigigabit speeds over their existing networks to the connections already in hundreds of millions of homes around the world, without the need for massive digging and construction projects. With this technology, Comcast can continue to deliver ultra-fast service today while simultaneously building capacity for consumers’ potential future needs.
Comcast technologists in Philadelphia and Denver conducted the test by installing the Broadcom SOC in a simulated network environment to track the performance of its Full Duplex DOCSIS features – including echo cancellation and overlapping spectrum – which combine to support substantial improvements in network throughput. In the test environment, the research team demonstrated the ability of the SOC to deliver upstream and downstream throughputs of greater than 4 gigabits per second (Gbps). Future optimization is expected to drive even greater capacity.
Charlie Herrin, President of Technology, Product, Xperience at Comcast Cable
This milestone is particularly exciting, because this technology is an important step forward toward unlocking multigigabit upload and download speeds for hundreds of millions of people worldwide, not just a select few.
Elad Nafshi, SVP of Next Generation Access Networks at Comcast Cable
The performance of the Broadcom SOC in Comcast’s simulated network environment exceeded expectations, and sets the stage for expanded testing later this year.
