The Big Network Changes Coming with 1+ Gbps Service Environments of the Future

At SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo® 2017, I’ll be on a panel discussing the types of changes network operators will need to make to deliver +1 Gbps services. Whether operating on HFC or PON or 5G infrastructures, for most operators, this change is part of their future. Since these higher-SLA services are not like past services, many network attributes and network operational procedures must be changed to accommodate the new bandwidth levels.

Operators are beginning to deploy (or considering the deployment of) 1+ Gbps services, and these services will dramatically change the demands on the HFC plant and the supporting headend access equipment. As my co-authors and I examined this issue and scribed an accompanying white paper, we discovered interesting and novel ways to reduce the bandwidth stress on different pieces of access equipment by changing the way in which Linear IP Video is delivered to subscribers.

The most common misconception is that it is easy to switch on 1+ Gbps services. In reality, work and planning are important components to a successful 1+ Gbps service rollout. Traffic engineering is an important area that will definitely be impacted by the arrival of Gbps services, because many of the traditional rules of thumb and formulae that have worked well for years may no longer be valid.

I hope you can join me for what should be a very insightful discussion, “Traffic Engineering Optimization I” on October 17th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm MT in room 205/207. This session will explore many of these upcoming changes, with a focus on bandwidth consumption trends vs. billboard bandwidth trends, new traffic engineering strategies, minimum bandwidth levels and channel count in DOCSIS® 3.0 and DOCSIS 3.1, and more.