Include DOCSIS in Gigabit Plans?

The European Commission, pushing a goal of gigabit internet access by 2025, tends to focus exclusively on fiber to home as the mechanism.

Not surprisingly, Liberty Global argues a “range of technologies” will be required, and should be backed.  

So argues Communications Chambers, a communications and media consultancy firm, which also argues a broad range of technologies, including fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), DOCSIS, G.fast and high-speed cellular access (particularly 5G) will be required to deliver a minimum 100 Mbps to all households and at least 1 Gbps to users such as schools and large businesses.

Liberty Global has an obvious stake in the outcome, as well as the policies intended to further the goal.

Not surprisingly, Liberty Global argues that hybrid fiber coax DOCSIS networks could deliver gigabit broadband by 2017 and at a lower cost than using FTTP, as obviously has been the case in the United States, the United Kingdom and some other markets.

In part, the argument seeks to dampen financial support that could be given to rivals, or perhaps, more optimistically, lead to funds being made available to support HFC upgrades, not just fiber to premises deployments or 5G.