Autumn 2020 - Optical Connections Magazine

EMMANUEL VELLA HFC MIGRATION

10G is the cable industry’s vision for delivering remarkable internet speeds to homes across the globe.

different parts of the network. HFC networks will need more fibre – the foundation for the enhanced bandwidth and latency demands brought about by 10G. It will need to be deeper in the network to account for symmetrical speed and to support growth over the next 10 years. In the passive optical network, 10G broadband makes it possible to add various functionalities, such as integrating 10 Gbps symmetrical PON and DWDM, or delivering managed voice, video, data and IoT services. Innovating new techniques to balance the asymmetry of cable networks can be tricky as traditional cable networks have much more downstream bandwidth than upstream, and for 10G to support future network applications, that needs to come closer to parity. This year is showing us how crucial connectivity is in keeping our society running in the face of rapid and unpredictable changes. It’s showing us the importance of forward-looking design. And it’s giving us clues as to where the opportunities for network innovation lie. As operators begin to put these changes in place, they’re not only investing in solving today’s problems, they’re also quietly laying the foundation for a new connected world. Nobody knows which developments will soon be enhancing our lives and work, but they will certainly need ultra- fast internet and mobile connectivity. A new wave of applications will require significantly higher symmetrical speeds, lower latency, and enhanced reliability – and 10G has the potential to deliver it all. CommScope offers migration paths that allow operators to get the most out of their existing HFC infrastructure. With CommScope’s fibre densification solutions, operators can roll out advanced network options targeting higher capacity, lower latency, enhanced security and reduced operational costs—at a pace that doesn’t strain workforce or budget.

major role in ensuring that all of these devices work to their full potential. For example, a 4K UHD movie can downloaded in one minute while maintaining reliable bandwidth and Wi- Fi throughout the home. Consumers aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the promise of 10G as industries such as healthcare and education will tap into this technology to improve services and enable new applications. The smart campuses of tomorrow will need ubiquitous connectivity to facilitate the increasing uptake of IoT devices in schools and universities, ensuring low latency for real-time teaching and the recording of human traffic as students and academics travel to and from institutions. Care homes and hospitals are another useful beneficiary of connectivity with nearly all institutions across the world already hosting a range of connected devices, and 10G speeds have the potential to revolutionise the efficiency of a sector where time is always of the essence. HOW FAR AWAY ARE WE? The introduction of 10G broadband will not be instantaneous. Instead it will gradually be built on existing infrastructures across the world as internet providers leverage existing fibre-rich networks with new technologies to elevate the performance of different parts of the network as a whole. 10G broadband will need to support many applications that require a fast, reliable combination of fixed and mobile networks, such as smart cities, healthcare tools, connected gaming, video streaming, virtual and augmented reality, education and business applications. It will be instrumental to the future of the innovation economy, but it will take time. Convergence is vital to 10G. To enable symmetrical connectivity up to 10 times faster than today’s, wireless and wired networks have to merge – and this has major consequences for design and operation and affects

of this is converting single-carrier QAM (SC-QAM) channels, such as a 32-QAM to 64-QAM operation. However, one of the longer-term solutions being prioritised by the telecoms industry is DOCSIS 4.0 and the 10G initiative, which are seen as the evolutionary step forward for operator networks. DEFINING 10G AND ITS POTENTIAL The applications of tomorrow will soon need vastly higher internet speeds, ultra-low latency, and uncompromised reliability, safety and security – and 10G could be the answer. Not to be confused with the fifth generation of connectivity that has just come to the global stage - the “G” stands for gigabit and is closely associated with broadband technology that delivers symmetrical speeds 10 times faster than what most of us experience today. 10G is the cable industry’s vision for delivering remarkable internet speeds to homes across the globe. While both technologies are exciting in their own right, one shared expectation of both 5G and 10G internet is the promise of never before seen connectivity speeds, ultra low latency and the support of new applications such as AI, AR/VR, IoT and machine to machine communications.

10G WILL REDEFINE EXPERIENCES

The “work-from-home reality” is now part of our lives. During recent lockdowns we’ve seen that connectivity is king as speedy and reliable broadband bridged the gap created by social distancing, helping to ease the transition for millions. More than ever people are playing online games, using social media and streaming videos several times in just one day, so it comes as no surprise that we’re relying on our home networks more than ever before. We are seeing a rise in the average number of connected devices in households worldwide and 10G is going to play a

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ISSUE 22 | Q4 2020

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