CableLabs, together with member operators and vendor partners, has completed a new optional annex to the DOCSIS® 4.0 PHY specification that extends downstream operation from 1.8 GHz up to 3 GHz. The addition — which also touches the Media Access Control (MAC), Operations Support System (OSS) and Remote PHY (R-PHY) specifications — was published today.

The annex extends the DOCSIS 4.0 technology operators are already deploying, giving them a defined way to grow downstream capacity on the HFC networks they already have in place. Extending usable spectrum to 3 GHz can enable up to 25 Gbps of aggregate network capacity, keeping well ahead of bandwidth demand.

This builds on DOCSIS 4.0 technology, which has already validated 10G class multi-vendor interoperability, and includes analysis of outside plant components like amplifiers, taps and passives to confirm they can support the wider spectrum reliably. It also sets the stage for CableLabs’ longer-term research into 6 GHz operation, which could eventually support up to 50 Gbps.

Read more on the CableLabs blog or view the specification.