Harmonic’s new tech enables two-way gigabit services for cable operators

Ethernet cable with lights shooting from the end

Harmonic, a global leader in virtualized cable access and video-delivery solutions, has announced a path-breaking upstream gigabit solution that enables cable operators to provide two-way gigabit internet services.

"Upstream bandwidth demand continues to intensify, as more people work from home and participate in distance learning," said Nimrod Ben-Natan, senior vice president and general manager of cable access business at Harmonic

"Leveraging our latest CableOS cloud-native and distributed network edge platforms, the cable industry now has the tools to meet growing bandwidth demand and offer market-leading symmetric gigabit services today, without costly cable modem or set-top box replacement."

According to Harmonic, Comcast is the first operator to field test this new technology. "We're excited to continue our work to evolve 10G technologies as we begin our efforts to extend those benefits to customers, and we value the important work Harmonic has done to support those efforts," said Elad Nafshi, senior vice president of next-generation access networks at Comcast Cable.

With the new addition, cable operators can:

  • Broadcast upstream and downstream bandwidth up to full spectrum
  • Implement any HFC spectrum split and node configuration with unified network edge hardware
  • Upgrade from traditional HFC architectures to fiber-deep to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) PON deployments through simple module reconfigurations of the unified edge platform
  • Ensure uninterrupted distributed edge platform operation during power outages
  • Solve backbone capacity bottlenecks and address time-sensitive applications with new deep edge compute capability

Harmonic has already integrated the two-way technology into its CableOS Ripple+ network edge platform to make the tech compatible with previously deployed cable modems and set-top boxes (STBs).