Comcast announces test of a prototype 10G modem for home broadband use

Comcast announced the successful test of a prototype 10G modem using the core technology that will deliver multigigabit speeds to tens of millions of homes.

In a lab test, a Full Duplex DOCSIS 4.0 system-on-chip (SoC) cable modem built by Broadcom delivered upload and download speeds faster than 4 gigabits per second (Gbps) powered by 10G network technology.

This announcement is the latest in a series of 10G milestones from Comcast. In October 2021, the company announced a successful test of a complete 10G connection using a virtualized cable modem termination system (vCMTS) powered by DOCSIS 4.0 technology. That announcement followed major 10G milestone announcements in April 2021, of the live lab test of a 10G system-on-chip (SOC) and October 2020, of a trial delivering 1.25 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) upload and download speeds over a live production network using Network Function Virtualization (NFV) combined with the latest DOCSIS technology.

A key component of 10G, DOCSIS 4.0 is an evolutionary leap forward in the ability to deliver multigigabit upload and download speeds over the connections already installed in hundreds of millions of homes worldwide.

“The great strength of our smart network design is that we are able to exceed our customers’ demands today, even as we continuously evolve to meet the needs of the future,” said Charlie Herrin, President of Technology, Product, Experience at Comcast Cable. “As our 10G journey continues to accelerate, customers will reap the benefits of ever-increasing security, reliability, and speed.”

10G technology builds on the work Comcast has done over the past several years to build a smarter, more virtualized network. In addition to providing a path to multigigabit upload and download speeds at scale, 10G updates will deliver near-term benefits to customers in the form of increased reliability, performance, and lower latency.

Connected by Broadcom 10G technology, the modem test utilized the DOCSIS 4.0 FDX SoC device, which Comcast demonstrated in April 2021, to pair with two cable modem chips to deliver the breakthrough performance. These were successfully connected over a lab-based hybrid fiber-coaxial network to the vCMTS operating in DOCSIS 4.0 mode.

This represents the first complete network connection of all-DOCSIS 4.0 components that are required for deployment. The demonstrated speeds – which were faster than 4 Gbps upload and download – are expected to increase significantly as developers refine technology at every level of the 10G architecture.

“With each new milestone, we get a clearer picture of how 10G technologies will unlock the next generation of speed and performance for millions of people worldwide,” said Elad Nafshi, Senior Vice President of Next Generation Access Networks at Comcast Cable.

10G is a global industry initiative to stay ahead of consumer demand by developing and deploying new network technology to dramatically increase upload and download capacity in the coming years.

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