nbn joins US cable research body

nbn has joined the global not-for-profit cable research and development body CableLabs.

CableLabs, founded in 1988 by US and Canadian cable network operators, is dedicated to pursuing new technologies and helping its cable operator members integrate those technical advancements into their business objectives.

nbn is the first cable network operator in the Oceania region to be admitted to CableLabs. It will become the 56th member of CableLabs joining US companies such as Comcast, Charter, Altice and Cox Communications as well as international titans Liberty Global (Europe, Caribbean, Latin America), Jupiter Telecom (Japan), Shaw Communications (Canada), Rogers Communications (Canada) and Vodafone (Germany).

CableLabs R&D work helps to bring technologies such as DOCSIS 3.1 — currently delivering 1 Gbps speeds to cable broadband subscribers — into the market, and the organisation is currently working on developing Full Duplex DOCSIS technology that promises symmetrical speeds of 10 Gbps. CableLabs plays a crucial role in bringing new innovations like DOCSIS 3.1 to life by inventing core technologies along with helping to align cable network operators around these new technologies and facilitating vital collaboration with technology vendors to ensure the necessary economies of scale are created.

Having been accepted as a member of CableLabs, nbn will now be part of the collaborative process that will see exciting new technologies such as Full Duplex DOCSIS come to reality. “Our story here at nbn is unique globally and we are really excited about working alongside CableLabs to deliver the best HFC product in the market,” said chief technology officer Dennis Steiger.

“As the research and development lab for the global cable industry, we are looking forward to supporting nbn’s deployment of DOCSIS 3.1 in its integrated optical fibre and coaxial cable network,” said Phil McKinney, president and CEO of CableLabs.