Vodafone’s decision on the future of its cable network remains to be seen. Although the new technology that the Comcast operator Xfinity is already testing, low-latency DOCSIS, may be the alternative that the British operator could use later to renew all its fixed broadband in our country.
Two years ago the new DOCSIS 4.0 standard allowed operators to exceed a connection speed of 2 Gbps, even Comcast was already talking about exceeding 10 Gbps. However, carrier Xfinity has already begun testing Low Latency DOCSIS (LDD) technology, an alternative that was developed in 2019 by CableLabs. And there could be the option of Vodafone if it wants to offer a better connection with its cable network.
new network technology
This technology, known as LLD, implements the L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) standards of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). In any case, according to the company Comscat and the tests they have carried out with low latency DOCSIS (LLD), the truth is that it can become the key piece for the Xfinity 10G network.
The main objective of this company is that this technology can be applied to all its customers by the end of 2023 as part of the 10G network of its operator Xfinity. In addition, for such low latency DOCSIS tests, Comcast has enlisted the help of world-renowned major companies such as Apple, NVIDIA, and Valve.
Therefore, if we look back, we will see how Vodafone began to implement and renew its cable network to DOCSIS 3.1 High Split technology. A rather expensive process and for which the red operator has not yet been able to update the cable network. However, with the addition of LLD you can change everything.
Basically, this technology is capable of implementing a new way of processing data packets to the cable network in order to greatly reduce latency. Therefore, it is possible to offer a better connection to users. Something that can be applied in video calls, games or virtual reality.
For example, Nvidia is already using LLD to improve latency performance on its GeForce Now cloud gaming service. So it is another of the applications that can be carried out with this technology.
Vodafone options
Depending on how Comcsat’s trials of its Xfinity cable network progress, Vodafone may have an opportunity to give its HFC cable fixed broadband network a facelift, rather than sell it off or upgrade to fiber.
It must be taken into account that since 2017, Vodafone has access to the entire fiber footprint of Telefónica. However, rumors have recently begun to reach a new agreement between the two operators to replace the cable. But, if the expectations of the tests with low latency DOCSIS technology are met, the truth is that the red operator could improve its cable network without making a large investment.
