Making the most of Cable & Fiber

Facing escalating competition from both fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fixed wireless providers, cable operators are increasingly pursuing a dual strategy -- upgrading their legacy hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) networks in some areas while building new fiber networks in others. At the same time, cablecos are deploying a slew of next-gen technologies -- ranging from DOCSIS 4.0 to XGS-PON to Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) to spectrum mid-splits and high-splits to network virtualization to network automation -- to maximize the benefits of both their HFC and FTTH platforms.

But this transition to next-gen networks is not a simple process as cable technologists grapple with the hefty challenges of their massive plant upgrades. These challenges include network reliability, scalability and powering issues, equipment replacement and upgrades, high capital expenses and unprecedented operational complexity. What upgrade strategies and techniques are operators and vendors developing and deploying? Which ones are working out so far and why? What obstacles are operators and their tech partners encountering? How are they attempting to overcome these hurdles?

In this opening-day SCTE TechExpo breakfast forum leading up to the show's opening general session, top cable technologists will tackle these topics once more, explaining how they are adapting the industry’s legacy HFC architecture and deploying next-gen technologies to meet the demands of a new era. Our team of experts will dissect and discuss the industry's latest network upgrade moves, the obstacles they are encountering, the solutions they are testing and the lessons they are learning in both the labs and the field.