9 million broadband subscribers will be utilizing DOCSIS 3.1 equipment by 2017, according to ABI Research.
Customers will benefit from higher broadband speeds as cable technology DOCSIS 3.1 or GPON is able to produce downstream speeds of 10 Gbps and upstream speeds of 1 Gbps when equipped with the proper devices and ideal network settings.
9 million broadband subscribers on DOCSIS 3.1 equipment by 2017 represents slightly more than 1 percent of total fixed broadband subscriptions worldwide.
Technology vendors like SAGEMCOM, Technicolor and Teleste Corporation already have commercial DOCSIS 3.1 solutions available in the market.
“The DOCSIS 3.1-ready products and solutions are able to achieve 1.2 GHz bandwidth, and some, like those from Teleste, started shipping in 2014. Meanwhile, operators in the United States are showing interest, with cable players like Comcast, Cox and Midcontinent to launch their DOCSIS 3.1 networks in 2016 and 2017,” said Michael Inouye, principal analyst at ABI Research.
With numerous planned trials on DOCSIS 3.1 to facilitate the commercial deployments of gigabit services, many cable companies are making the availability of DOCSIS 3.1 nearer to a reality due to its expected cost-effectiveness and scalability.
European operators like Altice, TDC and Telenet made inroads into preparing their networks for the launch of DOCSIS 3.1 in 2016.
In instances in which corporations and homes already installed cable, it is economical to upgrade cable services than make the switch to fiber, which gives DOCSIS 3.1 a definite advantage in the market space.
“Enhanced deployments of ultra-broadband networks could pave the way for cable operators to migrate to a pure IPTV over DOCSIS network, abandoning legacy broadcast QAM technology,” said Sam Rosen, managing director and vice president at ABI Research.
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