BBWN Bites: Harmonic Sings DAA Victory Song, Charter & Comcast Got Chummy
There's always a lot going on in the world of fixed-access broadband. Sometimes there's a central theme, sometimes -- like today -- there is not. Dig in!
Harmonic is taking on giants Arris, Cisco and Casa Systems, CEO Patrick Harshman told analysts during the company's Q1 2019 earnings call on Monday, Light Reading reported. As operators in North America and Europe prepare to deploy access network virtualization and distributed access architecture (DAA) to push fiber deeper into their networks to densify capacity and decentralize, Harmonic's DAA-focused fiber nodes and CableOS fit right in, he said. The vendor saw sales of CableOS, its software-powered, virtual converged cable access platform (CCAP) which operates on plain old white-box servers, ramp up with Tier 1 customers this quarter -- movement it expects to continue throughout the calendar year. In fact, half of the top eight Western cable operators are commercially trialing CableOS, said Harshman, and the company has 32 total commercial deployments and field trials underway.
Charter Communications has discussed licensing Comcast's X1 platform, although it currently remains focused on its own next-gen video platform and user interface, the MSO's Chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge said on the company's Q1 earnings call Tuesday morning. Cox Communications and Canadian operators Rogers Communications, Videotron and Shaw Communications have licensed Comcast's X1, according to Light Reading.
Cox Communications last week began testing a new high-speed broadband offering for speed demons, "Elite Gamer Service." The service plan leverages WTFast's proprietary technology to locate and use the shortest connection between players and servers. It does not, however, prioritize traffic -- a touchy subject in a world without net neutrality. The test is slated to run in Arizona for another couple of weeks, Variety reported. The gaming service operates only on Windows PCs and is designed create a speedy, smooth experience for players. For $15 per month, Cox Elite Gamer "automatically finds a faster path for your PC game data, reducing the lag, ping spikes and jitter that stand in the way of winning," Cox's game site said. When compared with regular Cox Internet, gamers experience up to 34% less lag, 55% fewer ping spikes and 45% less jitter, the cable operator said.
The Federal Communications Commission on Monday said more than 106,000 rural homes and small businesses in 43 states will get access to enhanced broadband service thanks to the agency's Universal Service Fund reforms. Due to new rules the commission adopted in December 2018, 186 companies involved in the FCC's Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) program have accepted $65.7 million in additional annual support over the next ten years, the FCC said. In exchange, these carriers have committed to deploying 25/3Mbit/s service to 106,365 homes and small businesses that would have otherwise only received slower 10/1Mbit/s service, according to the commission. Carriers must deploy 25/3Mbit/s service to 40% of locations by end of the 2022, and increase deployment by 10% annually until buildout is complete at the end of 2028
Plugged Into Nature (and Broadband Soon, Perhaps)
Yet another FCC program promises to deliver connectivity to rural residents, according to Chairman Ajit Pai.
MoCA developed MoCASec, a security layer for MoCA links across its portfolio of specifications. MoCASec is designed to improve network configurations in home networks where peer privacy is necessary. Its point-to-point link privacy enables "seamless integration of MoCA technology" in home networks that support the WiFi Alliance's EasyMesh standard, the vendor said. This security layer is available via firmware upgrade for MoCA Home 2.0 and 2.5 devices; it also is part of MoCA Home 3.0.
Jisc, a provider of digital solutions for education and research organizations, signed a new network contract with SSE Enterprise Telecoms for a fiber-based connectivity framework to improve the British non-profit's mission and access to global resources. Under the deal, Jisc's UK backbone network will use SSE Enterprise's fiber network until 2028 so data-intensive research centers such as the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Imperial College London can access speeds of up to 100 Gbit/s. In addition, SSE Enterprise will develop a new Janet Network access infrastructure. This will involve unbundling seven BT exchanges and using four existing points of presence to provide enhanced connectivity to 11 universities and 80 local colleges. High-speed and low-latency connectivity are critical to Jisc as students, researchers and other users tap the network to access CERN's Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, among other high-intensity, data-heavy applications.
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— Alison Diana, Editor, Broadband World News. Follow us on Twitter or @alisoncdiana.
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Here's where you can find episode links for 'The Divide,' Light Reading's podcast series featuring conversations with broadband providers and policymakers working to close the digital divide.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will present our Cable Next-Gen Europe conference as a free digital symposium on June 21.
Charter has sparked RDOF work in all 24 states where it won bids. The cable op booked about $19 million in RDOF revenues in Q1, and expects to have about $9 million per month come in over the next ten years.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will stage the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference as a free digital event over two half-days in mid-March.
Launch of 2-Gig and 5-Gig FTTP tiers in 70-plus markets puts more pressure on cable ops to enhance their existing DOCSIS 3.1 network or accelerate their upgrade activity centered on the new DOCSIS 4.0 specs.
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