Cable Gets Another Hybrid Access Platform: DOCSIS Protocols Over PON

Cable TV operators notably have used the hybrid fiber coax access architecture, not "standard telco" access networks. But the industry is preparing for fiber to home, in a way compatible with the HFC approach.

That doesn't necessarily mean a wholesale switch of access technology, but in a typically hybrid manner, the ability to mix and match new fiber to customer access with the existing HFC networks.

As an example, Broadcom Corporation has announced a DOCSIS-compatible 10G Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) residential gateway reference design.

Broadcom's new platform allows cable Multiple System Operators (MSOs) to provide multi-gigabit speeds over a fiber to home access network, instead of the traditional hybrid fiber coax network.

Broadcom's new 10G EPON residential gateway solution is currently available from multiple manufacturers.

The new gateway platform combines Broadcom's BCM55030, a 10G/10G EPON Optical Network Unit (ONU) system-on-a-chip (SoC), with the widely deployed BCM33843 DOCSIS 3.0 cable gateway device.

Broadcom's 10G EPON gateway adheres to the preliminary CableLabs DPoE 2.0 specification, which allows the PON gateway to look and function like a traditional DOCSIS gateway.

Built-in 10G symmetric EPON WAN technology supports multi-gigabit speeds, allowing multiple FTTH subscribers to achieve 1G symmetric performance simultaneously on a single PON.

"Our new residential gateway design enables cable MSOs to bridge a fiber network into their existing DOCSIS infrastructure without costly network re-design," said Jim McKeon, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Broadcom.

Carriers Believe Their Own Region Will Lead 5G

For good reason, mobile executives surveyed by Heavy Reading about expected 5G developments believe Asia will be in the forefront of 5G deployments. Some 58 executives were surveyed, with support from the Telecommunications Industry Association and Interdigital.

In fact, 71 percent of respondents expect Asia to lead in 5G. Some 52 percent think , to lead North America will lead, while 45 percent of respondents believer Europe will lead.

Heavy Reading analyst Gabriel Brown believes this is consistent with plans by Japan and Korea to deploy early.

DoCoMo says it will launch a first release of 5G at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and in Korea, leading operators, such as SK Telecom plan to demonstrate prototype 5G systems at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

North American operators are very much more likely to think that North America will lead (73 percent of North American operator respondents think so), whereas European and Asian respondents both think Asia will lead.

AT&T Offers First Nationwide "Linear Video Plus Mobile" Service

The first new consumer offer AT&T has made, in the wake of the approved acquisition of DirecTV, is going to draw yawns in some quarters. Sure, the new bundle of DirecTV and AT&T Wireless service could save some new customers money.

Beyond that, critics will say, the package is not that innovative. That might be true, in a sense. Bundling multiple services to increase value and save a buyer money is not new. Bundling video with other services is not new.

Predictably, the touted saving occur during the first-year promotion period. That also is routine.

But there is one element of the new plans that are a first. AT&T has become the first U.S. service provider able to sell linear TV and mobile service nationwide.

The offer for new customers includes HD and DVR service for up to four TV receivers, unlimited talk and text for four wireless lines, and 10 GB of shareable wireless data for $200 a month, an annual savings of $600 or more in the first 12 months, for new subscribers.

As part of this launch on Aug. 10, and for the first time nationwide, new DIRECTV subscribers will have immediate access to programming on their mobile devices, even before the satellite dish is installed.

They can view content on their compatible mobile devices immediately.

Additionally, DIRECTV and U-Verse TV customers who switch to AT&T wireless service from another mobile provider will receive a $300 bill credit when they buy a smartphone on AT&T Next and trade in an eligible smartphone.

AT&T is now the largest linear TV provider in the United States, and, for that matter, globally.

Innovation was never the immediate upside, though. AT&T expects to harvest the cash flow from DirecTV, and also gain the ability to sell linear video, mobile services and high speed access nationwide.

Any future upside in the video entertainment space would necessarily take longer to realize.

So yes, the critics might be right: the latest offer is not terribly innovative. It doesn’t have to be. The new offers only have to increase AT&T’s subscriber base, its average revenue per account and margins, driving incremental cash flow. That’s enough, for the moment.

Deutsche Telekom Partners with Boingo

Deutsche Telekom has enabled business users to use Boingo Wireless hotspots globally.

Boingo’s network of more than 1 million hotspots around the globe is now available to Deutsche Telekom’s business customers in more than 50 countries especially the world’s largest airports, major hotels, and shopping and city centers.

In addition to Deutsche Telekom, Boingo has similar agreements with AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, LG U+ and NTT DOCOMO.

Though virtually no legacy mobile providers would endorse an “unlicensed spectrum only” approach, still valuing licensed spectrum for the core of the network facilities, it also is true that virtually all mobile operators now recognize that Wi-Fi forms an essential part of the infrastructure.

That change also extends to emerging shared spectrum policies. Spectrum sharing is expected to rather routine, and some mobile executives now believe spectrum sharing will be “essential” for fifth generation mobile networks.

That belief is especially strong among Asia mobile operators, far less so among North American operators.

Some 26 percent of 58 global mobile operator executives say spectrum sharing  it is “essential” to 5G, while another 32 percent say it is “important.” Together, 58 percent of respondents think spectrum sharing is crucial for 5G.

A quarter of respondents think spectrum sharing is  “nice to have,” while 17 percent are negative on the concept, a study about expected 5G attributes found. The study was conducted by

Gabriel Brown Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading, with support from the Telecommunications Industry Association and Interdigital.

There are now more examples of mobile operators seeking to use shared spectrum and it appears very likely that this model will be used more extensively over time, said Brown.

LTE in the unlicensed 5GHz band (LTE-U or LTE-AAA), and the recently released 3.5GHz shared access Band 42 in the United States provide potential examples.

Asian respondents are more likely to view shared access spectrum as critical to 5G (40 percent) than Europeans (28 percent) or North Americans (13 percent).

SK Telecom to Test Maritime LTE with 100-Km Reach

SK Telecom plans to launch a test network for maritime communications using Long Term Evolution. Maritime networks normally are the province of satellite platforms, and the SK Telecom network will affect that reality only marginally: the test network works only to a distance of about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from shore.

LTE for Maritime Wireless Communications (LTE-M) network, as part of a research and development project led by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF).

The network actually is intended to enhance navigation safety for small ships that have relatively poor inbuilt communication and safety system, compared to large vessels.

SK Telecom plans to deploy the test network by May 2016 in the East Sea of Korea. Radio signals transmitted from a high-gain antenna located at high altitude in the eastern coast will be received by LTE-M router installed on a ship to be converted to Wi-Fi.

Mobile Internet and IoT Will Drive 5G Use Cases, Execs Believe

A survey of 58 mobile operator executives finds fifth generation mobile networks (5G) primarily will be driven by mobile broadband and Internet of Things use cases.

The survey, conducted by Heavy Reading, found 76 percent of respondents saw better broadband performance  key use case, while 74 percent found support for Internet of Things apps were a specific value of expected 5G networks.

A third of respondents expect their company to launch commercial service before 2021. However the majority do not expect full commercial service until after 2022.

Significantly, operator executives  strongly expect 5G will incorporate two, or more, radio interfaces — perhaps to support different frequency bands or use-cases. Some 66 percent say they believe that will be the case.

That is a bit of change from 4G, though was a reality for 3G and 2G.

A full 54 percent thought that 5G would include “multiple radios (more than two).” This expectation of multiple Radio Access Technology Systems (RATS) does not necessarily contradict a view held by some that there is a need for a new 5G radio that should be scalable across multiple modes of operations across different bands.

The study of expected 5G attributes was conducted by Gabriel Brown Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading, with support from the Telecommunications Industry Association and Interdigital.

Spectrum sharing is expected to rather routine, and some mobile executives now believe spectrum sharing will be “essential” for fifth generation mobile networks.

Some 26 percent of 58 global mobile operator executives say spectrum sharing  it is “essential” to 5G, while another 32 percent say it is “important.” Together, 58 percent of respondents think spectrum sharing is crucial for 5G.

A quarter of respondents think spectrum sharing is  “nice to have,” while 17 percent are negative on the concept, a study about expected 5G attributes found. The study was conducted by

Gabriel Brown Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading, with support from the Telecommunications Industry Association and Interdigital.

There are now more examples of mobile operators seeking to use shared spectrum and it appears very likely that this model will be used more extensively over time, said Brown.

LTE in the unlicensed 5GHz band (LTE-U or LTE-AAA), and the recently released 3.5GHz shared access Band 42 in the United States provide potential examples.

Asian respondents are more likely to view shared access spectrum as critical to 5G (40 percent) than Europeans (28 percent) or North Americans (13 percent).

Google and Apple Projected to Play Major Roles in Connected Car Market

By 2020, perhaps 31 million cars will be using Android Auto and 37 million will be using Apple CarPlay, according to IHS, and that will cover nearly all cars launching connected car services, according to BI Intelligence estimates.

Automotive Screen Projection Annual Sales
Brand		2015 Forecast*		2020 Forecast*
Android Auto		643K		31 million
Apple CarPlay		861K		37 million
MirrorLink		1.1 million		17 million

*Figures are rounded

Source: IHS Auto Tech Software, Apps & Services Forecast, (March, 2015).

Of the 220 million total connected cars on the road globally in 2020, Business Intelligence estimates consumers will activate connected services in 88 million of these vehicles.

source: Business Intelligence