Comcast and CommScope have announced that CommScope’s Full Duplex (FDX) DOCSIS amplifier is now live serving customers for the first time in Comcast’s network.
The deployment is notable because the CommScope’s FDX amplifiers will allow Comcast to seamlessly deliver multi-gig symmetrical services along with enhanced reliability, security and performance, to customers served by the vast majority of its current network architecture.
“At SCTE Expo last year we were excited to announce the first deployment of multi-gig symmetrical service to Comcast customers, and in the months since we have turned scaled DOCSIS 4.0 FDX into a reality,” said Elad Nafshi, chief network officer, Comcast. “With this first CommScope Full Duplex (FDX) DOCSIS amplifier live in our network, we are positioned to accelerate the pace of our FDX DOCSIS 4.0 deployment.”
Since launching FDX DOCSIS 4.0 in October 2023, Comcast has scaled the offering to more than one million homes across six markets and expects to continue to accelerate the pace of activation, the two companies said.
Amplifiers are a critical component to realizing FDX DOCSIS 4.0 across Comcast’s footprint, with the current network architecture utilizing up to a six-amplifier cascade to reach customers with multi-gig symmetrical services. With this first successful deployment of CommScope’s FDX amplifier, Comcast has a clear path to delivering an unparalleled network experience to homes and businesses across the U.S.
CommScope delivered the first prototype Full Duplex DOCSIS (FDX) amplifiers to Comcast’s advanced technology labs in February 2023. In the following months, Comcast and CommScope undertook significant systems testing to understand and implement technology improvements in advance of this deployment.
“I am extremely proud to see these major deployment milestones come to fruition with Comcast after our multi-year FDX development efforts,” stated Guy Sucharczuk, senior vice president & president Access Network Solutions at CommScope.. “CommScope continues to push the envelope of DOCSIS technology to extend the utility of customers’ HFC cable access networks. These deployments demonstrate CommScope’s unique capabilities as both a leading RPD Node and RF Amplifier solutions provider.”
“Building a future-proof network demands that we’re continually evolving and refining our hardware and software to support ever-increasing customer demand,” continued Nafshi. “CommScope is a long-standing leader in technology development to support next generation connectivity. Their FDX amplifiers and RPD nodes afford us the flexibility to seamlessly upgrade legacy hardware or deploy hardware where it makes sense for us and our customers, while delivering all the capacity, power and longevity we’ll need into the future.”
This milestone represents the first field deployment of STARLINE Full Duplex (FDX) DOCSIS amplifiers, which use Unified DOCSIS 4.0 silicon technology, in Comcast’s network. Comcast has also begun deploying CommScope’s Opti Max OM6000 FDX node, which utilizes the RD1710-X6 Remote PHY Device (RPD).
CommScope’s FDX nodes and amplifiers operate in the upstream on a traditional 5-85 MHz mid-split upstream band. In FDX operation, however, both upstream and downstream traffic share the same spectrum, which begins at 108 MHz and extends to 684 MHz. FDX operation uses this shared spectrum dynamically by “directing” portions of the shared spectrum toward the upstream or downstream band based on traffic demands. This dynamically shared spectrum is used to increase the bandwidth that is available for upstream signals.
CommScope have been demonstrating its STARLINE FDX amplifiers and OM6000 FDX nodes at SCTE® TechExpo24 in Atlanta, Georgia, September 24 to September 26.
During the show, CommScope also unveiled its next-generation Unified FDX DOCSIS RD1710-U6 RPD, which supports both Extended Spectrum DOCSIS (ESD) and FDX operation via unified chip technology, and finally, a live 3GHz DOCSIS proof-of-concept demo at TechExpo24 Booth 1321.
