A new report from Dell’Oro Group indicates that growth for the worldwide broadband access market − including passive optical network (PON), DSL, and cable − is projected to be driven primarily by cable customer premises equipment (CPE) device deployments over the next few years. The transition to DOCSIS 3.1 will drive short-term growth, according to the firm’s research.
“The broadband access market will be driven by cable CPE in the near term, with PON driving growth in the long term,” Alam Tamboli, senior analyst at Dell’Oro Group, observes. “In recent years, cable operators have been investing heavily in their central office infrastructure, deploying fully integrated CCAP platforms that are, in many cases, capable of supporting DOCSIS 3.1. Now with the infrastructure in place, we think cable operators will begin to significantly increase spending on DOCSIS 3.1 CPE devices to give customers greater broadband speeds in a bid to deter customer attrition and increase customer net additions.”
The “Broadband Access 5-Year Forecast Report” also predicts that starting in 2019, PON will take over as the broadband access market’s growth source. It also says that GPON, rather than EPON, will continue to dominate PON shipments.
At the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference back in December, executives from major cable operators reiterated their commitment to DOCSIS 3.1 deployments. “For us, from where we sit, we’re rolling out DOCSIS 3.1. We think that’s the most effective and efficient way to give big speeds across the footprint most quickly, most economically,” Comcast CFO Mike Cavanagh said.
Charter CEO Tom Rutledge didn’t name-check DOCSIS 3.1 directly at the same investor conference, but referenced its use when he explained that through CableLabs efforts there’s a pathway to 10 gigabit symmetrical. The CableLabs DOCSIS 3.1 Full Duplex extension does indeed offer symmetrical 10 Gbps, and completion of the spec is expected this year.
Last November, Altice revealed different kinds of plans in its aim to deliver speeds of up to 10 Gbps. It announced a large-scale fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network rollout that will extend fiber deeper into its existing HFC network in the United States and leverage proprietary technologies developed by its research and development arm, Altice Labs.
More information on the Dell’Oro Group report is here.
