Broadcom, Charter, Comcast to develop unified DOCSIS chipsets

Economies of scale for the industry
Robust vendor ecosystem
Streamlined CableLabs certification and operator qualification

Broadcom, Charter Communications, and Comcast have  announced a joint development of Unified DOCSIS chipsets for network nodes, smart amps, and cable modems, enabling both FDX and ESD versions of the DOCSIS 4.0 specification.

This specification combines the benefits of  DOCSIS ESD and DOCSIS FDX and includes support for both mid-split and high-split configurations.

Designed for compliance with the existing DOCSIS 4.0 standard and creating a foundation for the next generation, the technology will enable all operators through a single and open standard, delivering on the following advantages:

• Economies of scale for the industry
• Robust vendor ecosystem
• Streamlined CableLabs certification and operator qualification

This collaboration also will add AI and ML toDOCSIS utilising Broadcom’s NPU in the network nodes, smart amps, and modems.

Operators will be able to increase operational efficiency and improve network security and reliability through specific advancements, including:

• Channel anomaly detection and network self-healing
• Predictive network power management and reduction
• Real-time network pattern detection, classification, and optimization
• Advanced cybersecurity, intrusion detection, and phishing protection to fight AI-based attacks
• Monitoring and optimizing home IoT and WiFi device performance

The companies have agreed to start developing a path to 25 Gbps. Among the enhancements of this evolution will be the extension of DOCSIS to higher spectrum. By expanding the supported bandwidth on hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks up to 3 GHz, this  technology delivers many benefits to cable operators’ existing networks without requiring them to build new infrastructure.

While this initiative is in the early planning stages, it would ultimately allow for increased network speeds for continued competitive service offerings and the ability to apply operator software into next generation advanced products.