Askey, Castlenet, Netgear, Technicolor and Ubee Interactive were all approved by CableLabs to manufacture DOCSIS 3.1 hardware, the group said in its announcement, which was issued less than a month after Comcast successfully tested a modem using the new technology in a consumer environment. CableLabs credited “highly effective collaboration” from vendors for the quick turn-around.
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DOCSIS 3.1 is said to offer the possibility of gigabit-speed connections for home use, and Comcast has already stated that it plans to offer a gigabit service using the technology by the end of this year. The company already offers a 2Gbps fiber service, but it’s expensive at $300 per month and only available in select areas.
It seems clear enough that DOCSIS 3.1 will broaden access to higher speeds, since it uses existing copper-wire networks, though Comcast has yet to announce pricing info for its service. For its part, CableLabs said that the technology is important for technologies like 4K-resolution television, telemedicine, virtual reality and gaming.
Despite the recent swift progress on the standard, DOCSIS 3.1 is the product of a multi-year process, featuring dozens of preliminary testing events and ongoing development by numerous stakeholders in the cable industry. Matt Schmitt, CableLabs vice president of lab services, said in a blog post that the group adopted an ongoing, iterative development model, allowing manufacturers to test and update quickly.
“That cut out a lot of overhead and repetition, with the result that first generation devices were able to reach the point of being compliant with the DOCSIS 3.1 specifications unusually rapidly,” Schmitt wrote.