The vision: ubiquitous, context-aware connectivity and an adaptive, intelligent network. The challenge: navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape with confidence and ease.

CableLabs’ Technology Vision serves as a roadmap for advancing innovation and technology development in the coming years. It will drive industry alignment and support unmatched scale for operator members and the vendor community. Collectively, we can unlock the value of seamless connectivity to create nearly endless opportunities for players across the ecosystem.

Defining the Future

We’ll explore this vision in-depth and share how it is defining the future of the Industry at Winter Conference 2025 in Orlando, Florida.

This exclusive gathering provides a neutral meeting ground for CableLabs member operators and our vendor community to build meaningful connections, share knowledge and discover the technology advancements transforming the industry.

The event kicks off on Monday, March 10, with a welcome reception followed by two full days of practical knowledge and enriching insights. It wraps up Thursday, March 13, with member-exclusive project meetings.

Members can register now to join us, and a limited number of demo tables are available for exhibiting vendors to showcase their solutions. In addition to hours of unparalleled exposure during exhibiting hours, demo table packages also include conference passes for vendor company employees.

A Cornerstone of Industry Transformation

In each session at Winter Conference, we will zero in on the Technology Vision, exploring individual aspects of this transformative framework. We will outline the architectures, protocols, technologies and strategies required for building and evolving the network of the future together.

Launched at Winter Conference 2024, the CableLabs’ Technology Vision is a blueprint for accelerating the delivery of next-generation connectivity and beyond — propelling the evolution of the network from one primarily focused on speed to one that adapts to the needs of users and devices in real time.

The framework defines three core pillars that encompass the scope of broadband technologies:

• Seamless Connectivity: ensuring connectivity anywhere, anytime, on any device.
• Network Platform Evolution: creating the most efficient network architectures to deliver secure, truly seamless connectivity experiences.
• Pervasive Intelligence, Security & Privacy: supporting intelligence at every point in the network.

During Winter Conference 2025, we will explore how — at an individual, company and industry level — the framework can be leveraged to unlock new opportunities for better, more seamless online experiences and fuel innovation at scale.

Smaller Market Conference

Ahead of Winter Conference, we invite multi-system operators to join the Smaller Marketing Conference on Monday, March 10, to discuss the issues that are most important to them and their teams. Connect with and hear from leaders representing business strategy, technology, engineering, marketing, operations and customer experience, within the Smaller Market community.

This event is available for CableLabs members and NCTA guests. Registration for Smaller Market Conference is separate from Winter Conference, so if you are planning to attend, please be sure to register for both.

Let’s Collaborate at Winter Conference

Join Winter Conference to be part of the collaborative ecosystem shaping the future of connectivity.

This is an event you can’t afford to miss! Register and start planning your trip today.

Every day, consumers become more reliant on the digital services that surround us at home, at work, at school — and just about everywhere else. As a result, the need for robust network security and privacy protection has never been more critical.

CableLabs plays a vital role in shaping the future of our networks, enabling connectivity experiences that engender user confidence and peace of mind.

Brian Scriber, CableLabs distinguished technologist and vice president of Security Technologies, sat down recently to talk about how CableLabs is advancing Pervasive Intelligence, Security & Privacy — a core theme in CableLabs’ Technology Vision — through our state-of-the-art labs, working groups and involvement with standards development organizations.

Watch the video below for an “Inside Look” at how we are protecting future networks and find out what CableLabs’ “Chamber of Secrets” is all about. Plus, catch up on earlier videos with the leaders of our Wired and Wireless Technologies teams.

“If you’re going to do security right, you’re going to do it so that it makes life easier for the consumer — not so they have to remember 50 more passwords or go through a bunch of extra hoops,” Scriber said.

“If we do it right, it becomes kind of transparent and we make the secure network experience so much more useful to the consumer and the subscriber. By doing that, we are increasing their understanding and their trust of the network.”

Security and privacy are top of mind all year long for cybersecurity professionals, but did you know that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month for all of us? Take a moment to close a few of those accounts you never use — and learn more about how operators and vendors can engage with CableLabs to create safer, more secure and more private networks.

As we look to the future of broadband technology, CableLabs is leading the charge with a bold vision designed to be a catalyst for transformative change. Our mission is to align our members and vendor community to create a collaborative context where we can work together to overcome industry challenges and seize opportunities.

Through events and activities, we invite industry leaders, technologists and product strategists to come together to learn how they can get involved with us as we shape the future of the industry, address industry challenges and create a healthier, more competitive ecosystem.

Inspiring Transformative Change through the CableLabs Technology Vision Framework

Facilitating collaboration to create impact together is a tenet of CableLabs’ Technology Vision. With the underlying goals of delighting customers, providing seamless connectivity and growing into new markets, the Technology Vision creates a roadmap for achieving the goal of ubiquitous, context-aware connectivity and an adaptive, intelligent network.

To achieve this ambitious mission, CableLabs members and the vendor community must work together to create solutions at scale and harness the power of collaboration. By aligning industry goals, combining expertise and sharing resources, we can offset risk and cost, bring together diverse perspectives and accomplish more together to create a seamlessly connected world.

The Technology Vision framework is built on three key pillars:

• Pervasive Intelligence, Security and Privacy — Creating intelligence at every point in the network to ensure high performance, reliability, security and privacy for all users and devices in any connectivity context.
• Seamless Connectivity — Enabling new experiences for customers and new revenue opportunities for operators through connectivity anywhere, from any device, without concern for the access network technology or how the user is moving across the network.
• Network Platform Evolution — Developing innovations that will drive the most reliable, cost-effective, sustainable network architectures for our members, ensuring optionality and unmatched flexibility while delivering seamless connectivity experiences to users.

Driving Alignment Toward a New, Adaptive Era of Broadband Innovation

The evolution of broadband is framed by three distinct eras: the Speed Era, Experience Era and Adaptive Era. These phases reflect the ongoing advancements in network capabilities and user experiences. During the Speed Era, technology innovation focused on metrics-based competition. As we move through the Experience Era and toward the Adaptive Era, the driving force has shifted to differentiation and stickiness (Experience Era) with the ultimate goals of service agility and ubiquity (Adaptive Era).

The Technology Vision framework drives alignment among member operators and the broader vendor community through several strategic initiatives:

• Specifications and standards
• SDO engagement and ecosystem development
• Technology transfer
• Member/Vendor POCs
• SCTE chapters and training
• Events (SCTE TechExpo, Engage, summits)
• Open source

Within these initiatives, core focus areas encourage collaboration on delivering flexible network solutions that are capable of enabling new services and improved user experiences — and ultimately help us build a seamlessly connected world.

Working Groups: Tools for Industry Success

Achieving industry success requires balancing the requirements of both operators and vendors. CableLabs and our subsidiary, SCTE, both actively support working groups that provide mechanisms for doing so by creating timely, cost-effective solutions that benefit operators, vendors and customers. The greatest successes result when industry stakeholders collaboratively develop solutions that address the business needs of cable operators and can be developed at the right time and cost to support those needs.

The CableLabs working groups typically develop specifications for the industry, focusing on the research and engineering of a solution. The SCTE groups focus on how that solution is deployed and operated. Overall, the two are complementary in the value chain, moving from ideation to specification to implementation and operation. This has played out in various ways historically — including DOCSIS, the gap node, smart amplifiers and proactive network maintenance (PNM).

The net result of both approaches is the development of specifications, standards and other outputs that enable new products and services that operators want and vendors can build. In all cases, active engagement from vendors and operators is critical for project success.

Here are examples of how working groups get results:

Common Provisioning & Management of PON

Provisioning and management of Passive Optical Networks (PON) are critical to advancing cable network capabilities, overcoming integration challenges and removing interoperability barriers.

Short-term goals include simplifying PON integration through leveraging existing DOCSIS back office systems, developing the Cable OpenOMCI specification and enhancing interoperability. For the long term, the group is exploring Software-Defined Networking (SDN)-based solutions and virtualized PON architectures to support future growth and flexibility. Deliverables include a technical report on DOCSIS provisioning and the Cable OpenOMCI specification.

Optical Operations and Maintenance Working Group

The Optical Operations and Maintenance Working Group (OOM-WG) is focused on architecture assessment, telemetry assessment and translating to field practices. Delivery goals include:

• Unified telemetry
• Specific guidance for major architectures based on similarities and differences
• General network operations approach for FCAPS: identify issue, resolve cause, localize, address with suitable action be that maintenance, capacity management or other action

Ultimately, this group’s objective is to reduce troubleshooting and problem resolution time and costs while increasing network capacity and uptime. This includes integration across the tools stack to reduce the burden of engineering, operations and troubleshooting.

Proactive Network Maintenance (PNM) Working Group

The Proactive Network Maintenance (PNM) working group focuses on standardizing and expediting new PNM technologies to operations and in the field. The group, a part of SCTE’s Network Operations Subcommittee, works in collaboration with our member and vendor communities to develop standards, operational practices, guidelines and training content to support their initiatives.

Advancing Innovation, Creating Impact in the Broadband Industry

Ready to join CableLabs in advancing industry innovation to create a seamlessly connected world? Explore our working groups, SCTE Standards, Interop·Labs events and SCTE TechExpo events, where we seek to address key industry challenges and opportunities. By fostering collaboration among members and vendors, we are paving the way for a future marked by pervasive intelligence, seamless connectivity and adaptable network solutions.

What will it take to achieve adaptive, seamless connectivity across networks? CableLabs is leading the charge to reach this goal through new technology development, technology specifications and standards, and working groups that promote industry alignment.

In a new “Inside Look” video, David Debrecht, vice president of Wireless Technologies, talks about how the CableLabs Technology Vision seeks to drive industry alignment and interoperability across networks.

“The Tech Vision brings the industry together and defines where we're going. It gives us targets in technology and network usage so we can develop strategies to meet network needs of the future,” Debrecht said. 

As the industry transitions from the speed era to the adaptive era, one of the key focus areas in the Technology Vision is Fixed-Mobile Convergence & Wireless. Together with operators and vendors, we are working to provide stable, interoperable wireless connections that deliver a consistent connectivity experience for the user. 

Check out the video to learn how we’re bringing industry stakeholders together with CableLabs working groups that help us get more done, share ideas and innovation and create viable solutions that move us closer to seamless connectivity.

“I would definitely encourage people to get involved in the working groups that we have set up,” Debrecht said.

Join us!

Get ready for a broadband event like no other! Each year, SCTE TechExpo sets the agenda for what’s next in broadband technology with a packed three-day agenda including a line-up of inspiring headliners and technical speakers, thousands of influential global attendees to connect with and the latest technology to explore.  

Practical Insights to Inspire Your Innovation Agenda 

Nearly 100 hours of content spread across nine dedicated conference tracks will ensure you get the most out of the conference, on the topics that matter to you. Here are some highlights of CableLabs sessions that you won’t want to miss: 

• The Opening Headliners kick off the conference on Tuesday, Sept. 24. CableLabs’ CEO Phil McKinney joins executives from Cable One, Cox Communications, Liberty Latin America and SCTE to set a bold vision for the future of broadband. 

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us so it’s no surprise it features heavily in the agenda. Catch CableLabs sessions on Making the Most of AI in Broadband Networks with Karthik Sundaresan, distinguished technologist and director of hybrid fiber coax (HFC) solutions at CableLabs, along with AWS, Cox and Rogers; and Driving a Proactive Approach to AI-Powered Security with Dr. Kyle Haefner, Ph.D., principal architect at CableLabs, and Charter Communications. 

• Shining the spotlight on Wireless & Convergence, John Bahr, a CableLabs distinguished technologist, joins Cox, Nokia and Rogers to uncover Seamless Connectivity: Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, and CableLabs’ Dr. Roy Sun, Ph.D., principal architect, and Dorin Viorel, distinguished technologist, tell you Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)… but Were Afraid to Ask! 

• NaaS is where it's at! Hear how to grow revenues by fostering a new approach to connectivity in the API-Powered NaaS session with CableLabs’ Shafi Khan, lead software engineer, along with Charter, Comcast and Izzi.  

• Hear how to leverage cost savings with the latest technology with Charter, Comcast and Teleste in The What, Why and How of Using Digital Twins, moderated by Greg White, distinguished technologist, also of CableLabs. 

• Technology policy takes center stage in A Year After the Artificial Intelligence Executive Order: Current Status & What’s Ahead as Priya Shrinivasan, CableLabs’ director of Technology Policy, and a panel of government experts lift the lid on what President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI means for the broadband industry. 

• In CMO Insights: The North American Perspective, hear how the industry is meeting the demands of new users and building marketing strategies to suit a changing audience. 

• In Growth & Transformation—Lessons from the Video Game Industry, Anju Ahuja, CableLabs’ vice president of Product Strategy Insights, talks with Sony Interactive Entertainment about what can be learned from the gaming industry on competitive differentiation, launching new products and entering new markets. 

• Lastly, don’t miss the CableLabs-hosted Masterclass: Cultivating Your Ideation Toolkit and Innovation Mindset, on Monday, Sept. 23, as part of SCTE TechExpo’s newly launched Human Factor track. 

Explore the detailed agenda here. 

Stay Informed, Get Connected 

SCTE TechExpo is a unique opportunity to fuel innovation, discover the latest trends and advancements in broadband technology, and explore new opportunities for growth and collaboration with peers who share a passion for the industry.   

CableLabs operator members receive complimentary Full Access passes, which include entry to all sessions and a lounge for meetings and networking, away from the buzz of the main conference.  

Plus, visit us on the show floor at booth #1547 to learn more about CableLabs’ Technology Vision and the benefits of CableLabs and SCTE membership. In our booth theater, sit in on demos covering topics ranging from AI and security to SCTE chapters and standards. 

Be part of the community shaping the future of connectivity, and register today! 

The future of broadband hinges on seamless, adaptive connectivity. CableLabs’ Technology Vision establishes the framework that will get us there by driving innovation and collaboration among our members, industry vendors and other stakeholders.

As we take the next step toward a future of context-aware connectivity and adaptive networks, the industry needs a healthy, collaborative ecosystem built on a shared vision of interoperability.

What will that look like? It starts with working together toward common goals.

What Should a Healthy Ecosystem Look Like?

As technology has evolved, user experience has become the most important driver of customer satisfaction. Users want networks that work effortlessly, anywhere and all the time. To achieve this vision of seamless connectivity, industry stakeholders must work together to:

Drive and Develop New Technologies

The technology to support seamless user experiences is still being developed, and there is still much work to be done in areas like individual network performance, optimal hand-offs between networks, responsive self-configuration and pervasive sensing. The industry still faces complex challenges in these areas, and these issues must be solved before we can realize the promise of true interoperability and seamless connectivity.

For example, one of the most exciting technologies emerging today is Network as a Service (NaaS), a solution that creates consistency across operators using a common set of APIs. At this year’s MWC Barcelona, we saw many examples of NaaS including the CableLabs demonstration of potential use cases.

With NaaS still in its early stages, CableLabs seeks to leverage working groups and collaborative projects to build on these developments to achieve the goal of unconstrained, intelligent networks that fade into the background of the user experience.

Build a Robust, Reliable Infrastructure

Seamless connectivity requires an extensive infrastructure that can maintain optimal network performance no matter where a user is. For example, coherent passive optical network (CPON), DOCSIS, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 and 7 technologies have all made significant progress, empowering faster speeds, lower latency and better reliability. However, advancements are still needed in areas like fixed network architectures, optics solutions, network telemetry and automation.

Encourage Collaboration to Ensure Alignment, Interoperability and Scalability

The new era of intelligent, adaptive networks and seamless user experiences will only be possible if industry stakeholders work together to solve key challenges. Collaboration lies at the heart of CableLabs’ Technology Vision with a focus on seamless connectivity, network platform evolution and pervasive intelligence, security and privacy. Our working groups and collaborative projects bring industry stakeholders together to address these challenges, ensure alignment, and create scalable, interoperable solutions.

Agree on Standards to Facilitate Ecosystem Integration

Interoperable devices require common standards and specifications. In cooperation with cable companies and equipment manufacturers, CableLabs works to develop publicly available specifications that help facilitate deployment of new technologies. As technology continues to evolve, the industry will need to continue operating with an agreed-upon set of standards to deliver the seamless experiences customers expect.

How Do CableLabs Working Groups Help Establish a Healthy Ecosystem?

Since its earliest days, CableLabs has remained committed to establishing long-term, cooperative technology innovation. Our founding mission was to plan and fund strategic research and development projects that require cooperative effort and to serve as a central source of information about technology development and innovation for the industry. That mission is still in place today.

The CableLabs Technology Vision builds on this rich history by defining a high-impact framework that will bring together CableLabs members, vendors and others in the industry to advance the way we connect.

Together, we are working to improve the user experience by collaborating across key focus areas:

• Interoperability
• Fixed Network Evolution
• Advanced Optics
• Security & Privacy
• Specifications & Standards
• Network as a Service
• Fixed Mobile Convergence & Wireless
• Intelligence, Reliability & Performance
• Advanced Research

How You Can Get Involved

The future is bright for the broadband industry. We’re standing on the brink of a technology revolution that will change the way we live, work, learn and play. Here’s how you can join us in shaping the future:

CableLabs Working Groups

Working groups bring members and other stakeholders together to focus on specific industry challenges, priorities and technologies. The following working groups are accepting new participant applications:

Fixed Mobile Convergence & Wireless

• 3GPP Wi-Fi Tech (members only)
• 5G FMC Phase II (members and vendors)
• Next-Gen Wi-Fi (members only)
• Seamless Connectivity (members only)

Fixed Network Evolution

• 100G CPON (members and vendors)
• Common Provisioning and Management of PON (members and vendors)
• CPON Operator Advisory Group (members only)
• DOCSIS 4.0 ATP MAC (members and vendors)
• DOCSIS 4.0 MAC (members and vendors)
• DOCSIS 4.0 MSO (members only)
• DOCSIS 4.0 PHY (members and vendors)
• DOCSIS Technology OSS (members and vendors)
• DOCSIS Proactive Network Maintenance (members and vendors)
• Latency Measurement MSO (members only)
• Low Latency DOCSIS MSO (members only)
• Remote PHY (members and vendors)

Network as a Service (NaaS)

• NaaS (members only)

Security & Privacy

• Device Identification and Authentication (members only)
• Device Management and Identity Security (DMIS) (members only)
• DDoS Mitigation (members only)
• DOCSIS 4.0 Security (members and vendors)
• Future of Cryptography (members only)
• Gateway Device Security (GDS) (members and vendors)
• Mobile/Wireless Security (members only)
• Routing Security (members and NCTA)
• Zero Trust Infrastructure Security (members only)

Interop•Labs Events

These interoperability events provide opportunities for participants to work together on a specific technology solution or goal. Recent events have focused on DOCSIS 4.0 technology, zeroing in on areas like reliability, security and interoperability. Future events will include passive optical networking technologies and Open RAN.

Ready to take the next step? We invite you to engage with CableLabs’ Technology Vision, join a working group or attend our next Interop•Labs event. Join us in our mission to advance the way we connect!

Where will the industry be by 2030? Anticipating the future and creating a strategy to ensure resilience is challenging, with ever-increasing customer demands and new technologies continually reshaping the landscape. The next generation of connectivity must be fast, reliable, ubiquitous and inclusive.

Broadband providers are looking to deploy new technologies such as fiber and mobile services and leverage application programming interfaces (APIs), data and artificial intelligence (AI) to create smart, secure and dynamic networks that improve reliability and performance. These tools will also enable increased energy efficiency and faster launches of new services.

Setting the Stage for Industry Growth

Much more than just a conference, SCTE TechExpo is where the industry meets to spark inspiration, catalyze innovation and impact the future of broadband. TechExpo is the largest and most influential broadband event in the Americas.

The brightest minds in the industry will provide ground-breaking insights on use cases and cutting-edge innovations, organized into nine dedicated conference tracks:

• Wireline Network Evolution
• Wireless & Convergence
• AI & Automation
• Operations, Construction & Network Planning
• Network as a Service (NaaS)
• Security & Privacy
• Growth & Transformation
• Technology Policy
• The Human Factor

As well as the enriching practical knowledge to be gained from the sessions, TechExpo attendees can explore the latest innovations and technology transforming the industry in the exhibition. AI is prolific on the agenda, and a dedicated “AI Zone” will make its debut this year, with content appearing on two stages on the show floor, the Tech Talk Stage and The Loft.

CableLabs members can receive complimentary full-access TechExpo passes, which include all headliner and conference sessions as well as entrance to the exhibition and a private lounge. Members will have the opportunity to connect with other global operators, policy leaders, vendors, associations and visionaries, and collectively foster debate and dialogue around the industry’s most pressing topics.

Exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities are also still available.

Fuel the Future at SCTE TechExpo

“TechExpo will deliver an unparalleled opportunity to engage with industry CEOs, CTOs and decision-makers and to see emerging technologies and applications that will transform the industry,” says SCTE President and CEO Maria Popo. She will kick things off on the main stage, sharing the strategy and vision for SCTE.

Opening day headliners will set the bold vision to shape the world of broadband connectivity and the workforce powering it, featuring CableLabs President and CEO Phil McKinney and the co-chairs of this year’s TechExpo, Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex, and President and CEO of Liberty Latin America Balan Nair.

Appearing together to discuss workforce development, following Greatrex and Nair, will be the CEO and COO of Cable One. Rounding out the headliners on day one will be Deloitte’s global Future of Work leader, who will share her passion for making work better for humans and making humans better at work, using technology to enable and elevate human experiences, performance and outcomes.

Taking to the main stage on Wednesday, September 25, will be a CTO Town Hall set to include executives from Charter Communications, Comcast Cable and Cox Communications. Day two will also feature a Chief Strategy Officer panel featuring Liberty Global, Liberty Latin America and Rogers Communications executives.

Where Ideas Become the Blueprint for the Future

For over 40 years, SCTE TechExpo has been bringing the broadband community together to share, inspire and innovate. Join thousands of global attendees at TechExpo in Atlanta, Georgia, September 24–26, 2024, to discover cutting-edge innovation and experience thought leadership that unlocks new possibilities, ignites change and energizes the industry around a shared vision of advancing the way we connect the world.

CableLabs is continuing its march toward achieving ubiquitous, context-aware connectivity that seamlessly integrates into our daily lives. With ever-increasing demands for intelligent and adaptable networks, CableLabs and our member and vendor community are at the forefront of this transformation for the broadband industry.

One way we’re helping drive the future of broadband beyond speed and toward greater reliability is by prioritizing advancements in fiber to the premises (FTTP), DOCSIS technologies, hybrid fiber coax (HFC), passive optical networking, advanced optics and other wireline technologies.

In a new “Inside Look” video from CableLabs, Dr. Curtis Knittle, VP of Wired Technologies, walks through his group’s work to advance CableLabs’ Technology Vision. Focusing on four focus areas outlined within the Tech Vision — Interops & Vendor Ecosystem, Fixed Network Evolution, Specifications & Standards and Advanced Optics — the Wired Technologies team is developing solutions to deliver lightning-fast, symmetrical speeds and increased reliability.

Check out the short video above to learn more about their projects, our state-of-the-art labs and how our members — along with the vendor community — can collaborate with us in this transformative roadmap for the broadband industry.

“It’s their opportunity to define what they believe they will need in the future for their networks,” Knittle said.

Join us!

Are you a senior technologist, product strategist or involved in planning your company’s technology roadmap? CableLabs’ exclusive ENGAGE virtual forum gathers our NDA vendor community and member operators to hear more about the latest technology developments at CableLabs.

Register now to join us at ENGAGE from 9 am to noon MDT on Wednesday, Aug. 7.

Building a Healthier Ecosystem

As an attendee, you’ll learn how you can more effectively engage with us on CableLabs projects and initiatives, and you’ll take away practical insights to help tailor your own innovation agenda. Together, we can shape the future of the industry.

CableLabs’ recently unveiled Technology Vision is a cornerstone for industry transformation, targeting ubiquitous, context-aware connectivity and an adaptive, intelligent network. It serves as a roadmap for advancing innovation and technology development in the coming years, fostering alignment and supporting unmatched scale for the industry — all to create a healthier, more competitive ecosystem for CableLabs’ operator members and the vendor community.

At the heart of all that we do at CableLabs is collaboration, and our Technology Vision relies on the combined strength and input of our members, the vendor community and other industry stakeholders. At ENGAGE, you'll hear more about how the framework can be leveraged — at an individual, company and industry level — to unlock new opportunities for better, more seamless online experiences and to fuel innovation at scale.

To support our vision, we continue to define standards and specifications to ensure greater compatibility, interoperability and progress for all of us in the ecosystem. Join us at ENGAGE to learn how we can create impact together.

What’s on the ENGAGE Agenda?

Throughout this morning of thoughtfully curated sessions, you will:

• Hear more about CableLabs’ activities in global standards organizations on behalf of the industry.
• Explore how the industry is responding to important and emerging areas, including sustainability/green initiatives and AI.
• Discover new working groups and initiatives that you can contribute to.
• Learn how engaging with CableLabs’ subsidiaries Kyrio and SCTE can drive success for your teams.

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn how to join CableLabs and our community of members and vendors on this exciting journey to shape the future of connectivity. Register now for your complimentary pass to this exclusive, virtual event.

Reliability is the new standard for customer experiences, outpacing speed as the metric users care about most. According to 2023 consumer research, reliable broadband is the second most important consideration for people considering a home purchase, and a study by CyLab at Carnegie Mellon University found that users want to know how their broadband will perform in less-than-ideal conditions as well as in typical scenarios.

The growing demand for uninterrupted connectivity correlates directly with the proliferation of IoT devices and online activity. As people spend more of their time online for work, social interaction and entertainment, broadband reliability is critical to delivering quality experiences in each of those arenas.

As part of CableLabs’ Technology Vision, we’re fostering collaboration with CableLabs members operators and the vendor community across the industry as we work toward a new era of seamless network reliability. This era will be defined by ubiquitous, context-aware connectivity and intelligent, adaptive networks.

What Do We Mean by Broadband Reliability?

The term “reliability” means different things in different contexts. In terms of broadband, the term encompasses latency, connectivity, availability and resilience. Each new version of DOCSIS® technology has moved us closer to these goals.

With the introduction of DOCSIS 4.0 technology, we’re moving closer to true interoperability with technologies capable of faster speeds, higher throughput, lower latency and greater overall network cohesion. All this assures a more reliable broadband experience!

At CableLabs, we embrace all these concepts and we’re seeking to move the needle on both network reliability and service reliability:

• Network Reliability — The impact of failure — both financially and in terms of user experience — increases exponentially as user activity and network capacity increase. Network reliability aims to reduce the possibility of failure by creating a network that is resilient, available, repairable and maintainable. A reliable network also includes robust redundancy to ensure performance and continuity.
• Service Reliability — From a user perspective, reliability refers to the probability of not experiencing a service disruption. In the pursuit of seamless connectivity, the goal is to create always-on user experiences in which users can transition between networks without experiencing disruption.

Defining a Roadmap Toward Broadband Reliability

Reliability in the broadband industry depends on cultivating a deep understanding of the network’s physical layer while maintaining a digital mindset. Our mission at CableLabs is to advance the way we connect, and we’re continuously working to develop innovative technology applications aimed at achieving reliability goals and improving performance.

These efforts include helping the industry embrace and connect the concepts of broadband reliability and customer experience, working together to establish interoperability and determining what evolving broadband technology means for users at the ground level.

Here are some of the projects we’re most excited about:

Proactive Network Maintenance (PNM)

PNM has transformed the way operators use DOCSIS technology. Its advanced analytics find and correct impairments in the network that, left untreated, will eventually impact service. PNM can help hybrid fiber coax and fiber to the home networks be equally reliable, as PNM ensures dependable connectivity by addressing problems proactively before they lead to service impacts.

PNM innovations will ultimately change the way network operators work with DOCSIS technologies. CableLabs currently has several active PNM workstreams that are seeking to manage the resiliency capacity in the DOCSIS technology network so that users are never impacted by degradation.

With a wealth of network query and test capabilities, we continue to learn how to take full advantage of the information available to us. Development of the science behind operating DOCSIS networks is an important, ongoing effort. Carrying the knowledge into network operations is just as important.

An example of a related technology we’re developing is Generative AI (GAI) tools for network operations. As we learn more about the network and how to maintain it effectively, we need to put that knowledge to use. Through our research and development efforts, we’ve built solutions that turn knowledge into operations.

Quality by Design (QbD)

Another innovation that allows us to take advantage of such information is QbD. QbD tackles network reliability issues head-on by providing network operators direct visibility into the user experience.

The QbD concept, part of CableLabs’ Network as a Service (NaaS) technology, leverages applications’ APIs as network monitoring tools. By enabling applications to share real-time metrics that can be correlated with network performance, QbD allows operators to identify potential network issues and provide automated solutions.

Network and Service Reliability

This working group focuses on aligning service and network reliability and enabling operators to systematize tasks, standardize operations and ensure reliability. A 2022 paper outlines a roadmap to help operators get started on their journey toward addressing network and service reliability.

This working group has extended the roadmap into a more comprehensive set of practices that operators can implement then share their knowledge to develop efficient management of network and service reliability. Through a forthcoming SCTE publication, the working group will be defining practices that help operators ensure broadband networks and services are reliable and continue to improve. As networks transition to new technologies and services expand in their use of communications, this working group will continue to assure that reliable networks and services are built within.

Optical Operations and Maintenance

The optical operations and maintenance working group is focused on aligning KPIs and streamlining operations to simplify the maintenance of optical networks. Participation has been strong, and the group already has agreement on a base architecture. The next step is to identify key telemetry and build solutions that support specific use cases.

Through simplification, we can improve interoperability tools, get new technologies to market faster and streamline networks overall. Overarching goals include reducing complexity, ensuring consistency and improving broadband reliability.

Tools and Readiness

This effort is focused on helping operators plan for DOCSIS 4.0 deployment, avoiding issues that may otherwise occur and improving the reliability of DOCSIS 4.0 technologies. Along with industry partners, CableLabs has released specifications for cable operator preparations for DOCSIS 4.0 technology. SCTE Network Operations Subcommittee Working Group 5 is nearly ready to extend this work into a best practices document that guides operators in preparing to deploy DOCSIS 4.0 technology.

Where Are We Headed?

In the next era of broadband, reliability will improve to the point that networks fade into the background of the user experience.

To achieve this, CableLabs’ Technology Vision defines a framework centered on three key themes: Seamless Connectivity; Network Platform Evolution; and Pervasive Intelligence, Security and Privacy. Within those themes, CableLabs is working with world-class experts to deliver flexible, reliable network solutions that can enable new services and improve user experiences.

How to Get Involved

CableLabs members have several opportunities to collaborate in cultivating the future of broadband technology. Consider attending our next Interop·Labs event, which will include PNM testing of DOCSIS 4.0 cable modems. Or join a working group to help move the needle on finding solutions for industry challenges.

We also invite you to learn more about our Technology Vision themes and focus areas. As we work toward the goal of network reliability and seamless connectivity, industry partnerships and collaboration will unlock the door to the next stage of broadband innovation.