PHILADELPHIA—Comcast has announced that CommScope has delivered the first prototype Full Duplex DOCSIS (FDX) amplifiers to its advanced technology labs for system testing, a move that the cable operator is calling a major milestone in its transition to 10G services that will provide faster, more reliable broadband connections.
Comcast first tested FDX amplifiers in September 2022, demonstrating the ability to deliver symmetrical speeds across a complete network-to-home 10G loop, reflective of architecture that is inclusive of the vast majority of the Comcast network.
“In 2022, we demonstrated that our Xfinity 10G Network is here for our customers—a brilliant network that delivers the next generation of connectivity to power the next generation of innovation,” said Elad Nafshi, executive vice president and chief network officer at Comcast Cable. “CommScope has been a key partner in our work and deploying their FDX amplifiers across our network is a critical next step. We’re excited to harden this technology and begin rolling them out across our network, so that we can continue to deliver the best connectivity experience to our customers.”
The prototype amplifiers will be used to understand and implement improvements ahead of the full deployment across Comcast’s network, which is expected to begin later in 2023. The amplifiers are based on the widely deployed CommScope STARLINE MiniBridger platform which Comcast currently uses as a part of its network architecture.
“The CommScope engineering team has been relentlessly working on this program and is making great strides,” said Guy Sucharczuk, senior vice president and president of Access Network Solutions (ANS), CommScope. “RF Amplifiers are one of the key growth products within our ANS portfolio, as evidenced by our recent one million units shipped announcement. These million amplifiers shipped, in addition to the prior existing millions of CommScope amplifiers in the market, become candidates for upgrade to DOCSIS 4.0. We are excited to partner with Comcast to engineer this next generation of smart amplifiers.”
The delivery builds on a number of tech advances and demos in the last two years as cable operators have worked to implement 10G technologies.
Recently, Comcast marked a major milestone in the nation’s largest and fastest multi-gig deployment, announcing that its latest Xfinity 10G Network upgrade will be launched to 10 million homes and businesses by the end of February.
These locations now will have the foundational network enhancements in place to begin deploying DOCSIS 4.0, setting the stage for the introduction of new multi-gigabit symmetrical Internet options before the end of 2023 that will be delivered across Comcast’s existing networks with less cost, the company said.
The full deployment of these technical capabilities will reach more than 50 million homes and businesses by 2025. In addition to fast speeds, DOCSIS 4.0 technologies will deliver even greater reliability and capacity to power multiple data-intensive applications.
More information about the Xfinity 10G Network can be found here.
