New chip may allow big jump in cable speeds... but

Earlier this month, wireless company Broadcom announced at the Consumer Electronics Show it would be the first vendor to sell the new DOCSIS 3.1 chip, enabling cable operators to send more and faster content over the same existing lines.

The first multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) to seize on the technology is Comcast, which is promising the touted 1 Gbps speeds previously only available with fiber. Comcast Executive Vice President Tony Werner said, “DOCSIS 3.1 is a critical technology for Comcast to provide even faster, more reliable data speeds and features such as IP video to our subscribers' homes.”

Comcast – and undoubtedly other MVPDs – will be bringing out Broadcom’s BCM93390 modem design, which uses DOCSIS 3.1 to provide “the physical layer of technology that subscribing members produce for delivering gigabit-plus download speeds to customer premises over existing copper.”

However, there are uncertainties and roadblocks before cable actually becomes a speed rival to fiber. According to Fierce Enterprise Communications:

“The [perceived] delay concerns the business model for cable providers – not the problem of making the new protocol pay off, but driving adoption without losing revenue. Service providers have to offer new tiers of service to both businesses and consumers at prices they will accept.”

One possible hint has been the introduction of 4K video resolution, or ultra high-definition TV. Although many consumers acknowledge the superiority of 4K, that doesn’t mean they want to re-invest in the equipment necessary to have it in the home.

The problem is not only the price but that there is at present simply not enough content available that needs these kinds of speeds. As a result, “... consumer desire for 4K video has not risen the way the analysts predicted...”

So, while the technology for vastly improved cable speeds has arrived, it may take time until it becomes widely available at prices consumers will pay.

Your cable Internet is about to get way faster (The Washington Post, Jan. 6, 2015)

Broadcom's DOCSIS 3.1 SoC finally enables 1 Gbps broadband over copper (Fierce Enterprise, Jan. 8, 2015)

Broadcom takes wraps off of DOCSIS 3.1 chipset (CED, Jan. 6, 2015)