So, the question to be made is “what architecture is needed, and which transport technologies works over that architecture?” DOCSIS 3.1 could make sense for operators facing some particularities like bandwidth competition with limited capital, the necessity of delivering higher speeds while delaying the more expensive FTTH transition, among many others. Furthermore, it is not strange to use DOCSIS and FTTH together. In some cases, DOCSIS over a glass architecture is, for sure, a perfect option for delivering broadband services to homes over fiber. Should operators skip DOCSIS 3.1 and pursue FTTH? Or is the other way around? Well, perhaps that’s the wrong question to ask. FTTH – Fiber To The Home or DOCSIS 3.1: Are there differences to consider? Same is to say that FTTH promises connection speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, being that 20 to 100 times as fast as a typical cable modem or DSL connections. This technology dramatically increases connection speed available to computer users compared with technologies now used in most places. On the other hand, FTTH – Fiber To The Home, also called Fiber To The Premises (FTTP), is the installation and use of optical fiber from a central point directly to individual buildings such as residences, apartments and businesses to provide high-speed internet access. Through a SW upgrade, some CMTSs can offer partial DOCSIS 3.1 support, still better than DOCSIS 3.0. DOCSIS 3.1 technology also includes some new energy management features that help the cable industry to reduce its energy usage, and the DOCSIS-PIE algorithm to reduce buffer bloat. DOCSIS 3.1 suite of specifications now support capacities of up to 10 Gbit/s downstream and 2 Gbit/s upstream. The first release goes back to October 2013, although this technology was updated several times since. Normally, it is used by many cable television operators in order to provide Internet access over their existing hybrid fiber-coaxial infrastructure. To clarify even more, Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) is an international telecommunications standard that allows the addition of high-bandwidth data transfer to an existing cable television system.

FTTH is a Point to MultiPoint (P2MP) network architecture, DOCSIS 3.1 is a transport mechanism.

So, first of all, let’s clarify that this should not be a question of FTTH – Fiber To The Home vs.

Should I go for FTTH or DOCSIS? This question may be in your head when building innovative networks and providing the best service to your customers.

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