Cable industry unveils 10G vision
January 8, 2019
Cable industry trade bodies NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, CableLabs and Cable Europe have used the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to introduce their vision for delivering 10 gigabit networks, or 10G – a powerful, capital-efficient technology platform that will ramp up from the 1 gigabit offerings of today to speeds of 10 gigabits per second and beyond – to consumers in the United States and across the globe in the coming years. To support the roll-out, Intel will deliver 10 gigabit ready technology from the network infrastructure to home gateways.
Cable operators in the US, whose networks currently pass 85 per cent of US homes, including Comcast, Charter, Cox, Mediacom, Midco and others – plus international operators, including Rogers, Shaw Communications, Vodafone, Taiwan Broadband Communications, Telecom Argentina, Liberty Global and more, are implementing the new 10G initiative, with lab trials already underway, and field trials beginning in 2020.
“With groundbreaking, scalable capacity and speeds, the 10G platform is the wired network of the future that will power the digital experiences and imaginations of consumers for years to come,” said NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell. “As an industry, we are dedicated to delivering an exceptional national infrastructure that will power digital advancement and propel our innovation economy into the future.”
The foundation of 10G is already proven with cable networks offering 1 gigabit service today across 80 percent of the US, up from just five per cent in 2016. Similar gigabit services are available by cable operators across the world. Ultimately, 10G will deliver symmetrical speeds that are up to 10 times faster than today’s fastest networks.
Built using a capital-efficient approach and leveraging the expansive cable networks already deployed throughout much of North America, Europe and Asia, the 10G network will seamlessly support a wide variety of immersive digital services and applications. On the path to accomplishing 10G, Internet providers will continue to upgrade their networks with a combination of technologies that currently exist alongside the ongoing advancements of new hardware, software and techniques that are being developed and tested by technologists and vendors.
10G’s promise of faster speeds, more capacity, lower latency and greater security will enable and help fully realise a wide variety of new services and applications that will change the way millions of consumers, educators, businesses and innovators interact with the world.
“CableLabs creates the technology that supports the deployment of high-capacity broadband networks and gigabit services at scale for the industry,” said CableLabs President and CEO Phil McKinney. “With the 10G platform, CableLabs will help ensure the broadband infrastructure will be in place globally with the capacity and performance needed in the future to fuel new innovations and emerging technologies that will transform and enhance the way we live.”
Through the 10G platform, new innovations will transform consumer experiences in homes, businesses and wherever people connect. It creates new possibilities for smart cities, healthcare, connected gaming, video streaming, virtual and augmented reality, education and businesses of all sizes.
Simply put, the 10G platform promises improved security, seamless connectivity, reliability, increased capacity and, as the name would imply, up to 10 gigabit per second speeds.