The broadband industry is experiencing a transformative moment — one defined by unprecedented collaboration, groundbreaking technology and milestone achievements that set the tone for the future of connectivity. Today, we’re excited to highlight a convergence of firsts that represent significant strides in driving scalable, interoperable and high-performance broadband networks.

These advances were on full display at the latest Interop·Labs event, held June 9–12 at CableLabs’ headquarters in Louisville, Colorado. The event provided an opportunity for suppliers to verify interoperability between equipment designed to be compliant to the DOCSIS 4.0 specifications. The focus: speed and stability, two critical factors that directly impact the quality and reliability of broadband service.

A New Milestone: Uniting Innovation With Scale

In this blog post, we’ll walk through the key breakthroughs that made this interop a milestone event for DOCSIS 4.0 technology and the broadband industry as a whole.

1. 10 DOCSIS 4.0 Modem Suppliers

Interest in delivering modems into the DOCSIS technology ecosystem remains high, with 10 modem suppliers having attended a DOCSIS 4.0 interoperability event at CableLabs.

2. Three CCAP Core Suppliers Demonstrating Advanced Capabilities

In an industry first, three DOCSIS core suppliers attended the interop and demonstrated:

• Stable registration with multiple high-speed channels.
• Cable modem interoperability.
• High-speed throughput both upstream and downstream.
• Advanced service features.

The successful interop of multiple cores with the modems at the interop further proves that operators are no longer bound to a single core vendor solution. Instead, they can architect their networks based on performance, cost and feature alignment — without compromising on integration or scale.

3. Five RPD Suppliers Interoperating in a Single Network

Additionally, for the first time, five Remote PHY devices (RPD) were tested during the event and successfully achieved interoperability with the cores, reinforcing the maturity of the Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) ecosystem. Additionally, for the first time, five Remote PHY Devices (RPD) were tested during the event and successfully achieved interoperability with the cores reinforcing the maturity of the Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) ecosystem. This marks a major achievement for interoperability in a traditionally siloed space, where vendor lock-in could limit agility and innovation.

Each RPD supplier brought unique implementation characteristics to the table — ranging from management capabilities to different form-factors. The cores not only handled these diverse devices gracefully but also maintained service performance and control plane consistency while achieving high-speed data delivery.

4. Achieving 14 Gbps DOCSIS Downstream Throughput

The fourth major milestone is a technological leap forward: 14 Gbps of downstream DOCSIS throughput achieved across a live, multi-vendor network. This achievement leverages the full potential of DOCSIS 4.0 technology, DAA architectures, next-gen modulation (4096-QAM) and intelligent spectrum management.

This bandwidth benchmark isn't just a speed milestone — it’s a validation of the DOCSIS roadmap, demonstrating that hybrid fiber coax (HFC) infrastructure remains a future-ready platform that can compete with fiber on both performance and longevity.

Why These Firsts Matter

These achievements go beyond engineering milestones — they signal a new era of openness and agility in broadband infrastructure. For operators, this means:

• Faster innovation cycles due to supplier interoperability and innovation.
• Reduced operational risk via interoperable fallback options.
• Future-proof investments in scalable architectures like DAA and DOCSIS 4.0 technology.

For consumers and businesses, it translates to more reliable service, higher speeds and faster deployments of next-generation broadband.

Participants test their equipment for interoperability, with a focus on speed and stability, during the June 2025 event at CableLabs.

Key Contributors and Participants

Attendance at the event was strong, with new suppliers, new products and three operators on hand to observe demos and share their DOCSIS 4.0 network progress.

Suppliers included CommScope, Harmonic and Vecima, who brought DOCSIS 4.0 cores to the event. For the first time, we saw five Remote PHY Device (RPD) platforms from: Calian, CommScope, Harmonic, Teleste and Vecima. Eight DOCSIS 4.0 modem suppliers in attendance — Arcadyan, Askey, Compal, Gemtek, Hitron, Sagemcom, Sercomm and Ubee — brought multiple cable modem models.

Participating in the event were chipmakers Broadcom and MaxLinear, who brought local engineering support for their cable modem partners. Calian participated with its test solutions, and Microchip brought its clock and timing system.

Testing combined virtual cores, RPDs and modems from different vendors to verify performance and cross-compatibility. DOCSIS 3.1 and 4.0 devices were once again integrated to showcase interoperability between legacy and next-gen technology. Suppliers providing test equipment used these setups to verify their solutions.

Looking Ahead

This confluence of industry firsts is not an endpoint, but a foundation. With successful demonstrations of interoperability, performance and scalability, our industry is entering a period where the promise of next-gen broadband becomes reality — not just in labs, but in communities around the world.

The future is open, fast and here — and we couldn’t be more excited to play a part in building it.

Upcoming Events

The next phase of broadband promises faster speeds, greater reliability and seamless integration across today’s HFC networks. Another DOCSIS 4.0 interop is planned in August at CableLabs. Consider joining us to explore the possibilities firsthand.

Also, registration is now open for SCTE TechExpo25, happening Sept. 29–Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The theme of the industry-leading annual event is “Network (R)Evolution: Delivering the Seamless Experience.” Join us to explore how operators can thrive amidst the transformation across wireline, wireless and converged networks. CableLabs members are eligible to receive a complimentary full-access pass to SCTE TechExpo.