NBN Co has joined the global cable research and development body CableLabs, becoming the first cable network operator in the Oceania region to be admitted to the not-for-profit organisation.
Founded in 1988 by US and Canadian cable network operators, CableLabs has been the driving force behind crucial technological advances in the global cable market that help deliver better services for end users.
NBN Co will become the 56th member of CableLabs, joining US giants such as Comcast and Cox Communications, as well as international companies Liberty Global (Europe, South and Latin America), Jupiter Telecom (Japan), Shaw Communications (Canada), Rogers Communications (Canada) and Vodafone (Germany).
According to NBN chief technology officer Dennis Steiger, the NBN rollout sets the scene for the biggest transformation to Australia’s telecommunications industry involving retail service provider network upgrades and the establishment of a network of networks to bring fast broadband to all Australians.
{loadposition peter}Steiger says the CableLabs membership is a further demonstration of the company’s focus on providing technology to meet today’s demands while ensuring a strong path of development and upgrades to meet Australia’s future data demands.
“NBN is delighted and honoured to have been accepted as a member of CableLabs. This is a great reflection of the work the team is doing to deliver a world class HFC network here in Australia.
“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.
“CableLabs has been driving some amazing innovations in our industry with things like DOCSIS 3.1 and Full Duplex DOCSIS and we really look forward to being part of this organisation in the coming years.”
CableLabs R&D work helps to bring innovative technologies such as DOCSIS 3.1 — currently delivering 1Gbps speeds to cable broadband subscribers — into the market, and the organisation is working on developing Full Duplex DOCSIS technology that promises symmetrical speeds of 10Gbps.
Steiger says CableLabs plays a crucial role in bringing 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 Co will now be part of the collaborative process that will see exciting new technologies such as Full Duplex DOCSIS come to reality.”
Phil McKinney, president amd chief executive of CableLabs, said, “As the research and development lab for the global cable industry, we are looking forward to supporting NBN Co’s deployment of DOCSIS 3.1 in its integrated optical fibre and coaxial cable network.
“NBN Co's deployment, alongside our other members, will deliver new customer experiences that are faster and more efficient.”