Every cableco has plans but how will they price? Using DOCSIS 3.0, Videotron now is serving customers in Montreal (pr below) with the whole city set to upgrade in the near future. Hitron modems are going into use in the U.S., presumably at Altice's Suddenlink and at GCI in Alaska. (Also below). Suddenlink is charging $109 for the gigabit.
Comcast and Cox also offer a gigabit in many areas but today it's mostly a pr stunt. Comcast is charging $300/month and $1,000 for the install. They run a dedicated fiber and deliver the service as they would for a large business.
Both companies tell me they will switch to using their existing coax when DOCSIS 3.1 is ready.
Todd Smith of Cox emails me, "Right now any residential Gigabit solution that we provide involves bringing fiber closer to the home, but we haven’t been specific about the details. At the end of 2016, DOCSIS 3.1 will enable Gigabit over coaxial and that’s how we’ll widely deploy across all our markets." Charter and Time Warner are less explicit but presumably after the merger will do the same as Comcast and Cox.
Under DOCSIS 3.1 or anywhere fiber is in place, it costs the company between $1/month and $5/month more to deliver the gigabit rather than the ordinary 15 or 25 megabits service. The equipment is the same or just slightly more expensive. On average, most users draw only a modest amount of additional capacity, perhaps 30%. Bandwidth isn't free but it's getting cheaper and cheaper. The cost to a large telco or cableco is typically $0.50 to $2.00/month/customer. Increasing that by 30% is not very much.
Customers probably will be asked to pay much more because the cable/telco market power allows prices close to monopoly rates. A factor holding them back is Google's $70 offering in Kansas City. That creates a perception of a "just price." Thomas Aquinas may not be in style but most people retain some idea of "just price." This is one of the benefits to Google of the Kansas City build; other ISPs may keep their prices lower to deal with the expectations Google creates.
No one believed John Chapman in 2004 when he initially forecast gigabit (shared) cable modems. Today, they are being delivered. There were five to six gigabits of digital capacity on coax but much of that was pre-empted by analog TV. Moving to digital, especially switched digital, frees up bandwidth that could easily deliver a gigabit. Intel is shipping chips for 24 channels of data and soon 36 channels. Each channel carries 35 megabits to 50 megabits. Maxlinear is shipping receivers ready for 36 channels and 1.6 gigabits. DOCSIS 3.1 gear will soon cost no more than 3.0 gear did in 2014.
The gigabit upgrade will be so cheap almost all the cable system in the developed world will have gigabit capacity within a few years.
Here's the pr
Hitron Deploys Industry’s First Gigabit DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modems
First to Be Commercially Deployed in North America, the Modems Deliver Speeds Up to One Gbps, Giving Operators the Ability to Deploy Next-Generation Interactive Services Without Costly Network infrastructure Upgrades
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – August 3, 2015 – Hitron Technologies Inc., the global leader in the design, manufacturing and distribution of innovative high-performance DOCSIS products for Multiple-System Operators (MSOs) worldwide, today announced the launch of the Gigabit Cable Modem (CDA3-35), the industry’s first DOCSIS 3.0 32x8 channel bonding modem to be commercially deployed in Northern America.
The new CDA3-35, which delivers speeds of up to 1 Gbps with 32 bonded downstream channels over its DOCSIS interface, enables cable operators to deliver up to one gigabit speeds to their customers in support of high-bandwidth Internet applications such as telecommuting, HD and UHD video-on-demand, high-speed residential Internet access, and interactive multimedia services. GCI and Suddenlink are the first MSOs to deploy the CDA3-35 and provide their residential and small office/home office (SOHO) customers with the nation’s fastest cable Internet speeds. Hitron ships over three million DOCSIS units annually worldwide.
“The rollout of gigabit cable modems into the home will enable the adoption of advanced applications such as high-definition streaming content, interactive services, home security and other next-generation connected home technologies that rely on fast, reliable broadband connectivity to the Internet,” explained Jeff Heynen, Research Director, Broadband Access and Pay TV at IHS. “For cable operators, the availability of gigabit technology over their existing cable plant will enable them to quickly compete with fiber-based services at an affordable price point.”
“True to Hitron fashion, we’re the first to put the ultra-fast DOCSIS 3.0 compliant 32x8 modem technology in the hands of cable operators and in the homes of their subscribers in North America,” explained Todd Babic, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for HitronTechnologies Americas. “The CDA3-35 provides the fast Internet connectivity speeds that will allow MSOs to deploy next-generation interactive services to their subscribers and support the increasingly advanced applications and devices in the Connected Home.”
The CDA3-35 delivers up to one gigabit speeds by utilizing Intel’s Puma™ 6-MG DOCSIS processor and MaxLinear’s 32-channel MxL268 tuner, which are drop-in and software compatible upgrades to prior 16- and 24-channel solutions. This cost effective design approach with flexible and world-class leading software allows Hitron to quickly deliver a gigabit cable modem that is simple to deploy, monitor and manage. Once connected, the built-in TFTP client automatically retrieves the IP address and configuration data from the network. A browser-based utility allows convenient viewing of key network statistics and SNMP support provides total remote control over the device.
For more information on Hitron Technologies Inc. and its families of DOCSIS-based products for residential and commercial environments, visit www.hitron-americas.com.
About Hitron Technologies Inc.
Hitron Technologies Inc., the parent company of Hitron Technologies Americas Inc., has delivered over one million DOCSIS products annually to MSOs worldwide, which support both residential and business class applications.
At Hitron Technologies Americas Inc., our unique business model enables our customers to succeed through first-to-market delivery while maintaining high quality standards in a cost effective manner. We take pride in our flexibility, responsiveness and capacity to support our customers’ evolving business demands. Since our inception, we have operated with an unwavering commitment to delivering excellence in all we do, and this will continue to define our future and ensure our customers’ success.
For more information about Hitron Technologies Inc., visit www.hitron-americas.com.
About MaxLinear, Inc.
MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE: MXL) is a provider of integrated, radio frequency, and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications and data center, metro, and long-haul transport network applications. MaxLinear is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. For more information, please visit www.maxlinear.com.
The move to offer customers the fastest possible speeds confirms Videotron’s status as the industry leader.
“It is with great pride that we announce today that we have passed another milestone in the history of Videotron Internet service,” said Manon Brouillette, President and CEO of Videotron. “We have always been a trailblazer in this area. Over the past 10 years, we have introduced a series of high-speed Internet access services, each faster than the last, in order to meet consumers’ steadily expanding needs.”
The ultra-fast speeds of the future – now!
Testing of the new service, which supports speeds of 1,000 Mbps or more under certain conditions, began in Montréal-area homes and businesses several months ago.
The pilot project’s results thus far confirm once again the reliability and robustness of Videotron’s hybrid network and its ability to deliver ever more advanced services to our customers, another example of the infinite developmental potential of Videotron’s network.
The service now being tested is supported by DOCSIS 3.0 technology, new modems and optimized network architecture.
DOCSIS 3.1, which should be available in 2016, will allow still faster speeds. This new network upgrade will equip Videotron to effectively meet spiralling daily Internet use by consumers, fuelled by the proliferation of Internet-connected devices and the explosive growth of television streaming services, which are disrupting home entertainment habits. And much more is just around the corner, including home automation and the Internet of Things.
“Reaching the gigabit per second threshold in this technological test makes the potential of our state-of-the-art network that much more palpable,” added Manon Brouillette. “In light of the pilot project’s results, we plan to go ahead with commercial roll-out of the new service. Details will be announced at a later date.”
VERY high-speed Fibre Hybrid access available across most of Videotron’s service area
Videotron, the only player to offer download speeds of up to 200 Mbps in most of its service area, is already taking the Internet experience to the next level and constantly anticipating its customers’ constantly growing needs.
At these speeds, all members of the family can use the Internet to the max at the same time, taking advantage of the best in entertainment, accessing all manner of HD content, and communicating with friends and family via photos, videos and video calls.
Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its illico interactive television service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of March 31, 2015, Videotron was serving 1,770,600 cable television customers, including 1,555,500 Digital TV subscribers. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,543,100 subscribers to its cable service as of March 31, 2015. As of the same date, Videotron had 662,100 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,344,600 Québec households and organizations. For the tenth consecutive year, Videotron was ranked as Québec’s most respected telecommunications company, based on a Léger survey.
The move to offer customers the fastest possible speeds confirms Videotron’s status as the industry leader.
“It is with great pride that we announce today that we have passed another milestone in the history of Videotron Internet service,” said Manon Brouillette, President and CEO of Videotron. “We have always been a trailblazer in this area. Over the past 10 years, we have introduced a series of high-speed Internet access services, each faster than the last, in order to meet consumers’ steadily expanding needs.”
The ultra-fast speeds of the future – now!
Testing of the new service, which supports speeds of 1,000 Mbps or more under certain conditions, began in Montréal-area homes and businesses several months ago.
The pilot project’s results thus far confirm once again the reliability and robustness of Videotron’s hybrid network and its ability to deliver ever more advanced services to our customers, another example of the infinite developmental potential of Videotron’s network.
The service now being tested is supported by DOCSIS 3.0 technology, new modems and optimized network architecture.
DOCSIS 3.1, which should be available in 2016, will allow still faster speeds. This new network upgrade will equip Videotron to effectively meet spiralling daily Internet use by consumers, fuelled by the proliferation of Internet-connected devices and the explosive growth of television streaming services, which are disrupting home entertainment habits. And much more is just around the corner, including home automation and the Internet of Things.
“Reaching the gigabit per second threshold in this technological test makes the potential of our state-of-the-art network that much more palpable,” added Manon Brouillette. “In light of the pilot project’s results, we plan to go ahead with commercial roll-out of the new service. Details will be announced at a later date.”
VERY high-speed Fibre Hybrid access available across most of Videotron’s service area
Videotron, the only player to offer download speeds of up to 200 Mbps in most of its service area, is already taking the Internet experience to the next level and constantly anticipating its customers’ constantly growing needs.
At these speeds, all members of the family can use the Internet to the max at the same time, taking advantage of the best in entertainment, accessing all manner of HD content, and communicating with friends and family via photos, videos and video calls.
Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its illico interactive television service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of March 31, 2015, Videotron was serving 1,770,600 cable television customers, including 1,555,500 Digital TV subscribers. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,543,100 subscribers to its cable service as of March 31, 2015. As of the same date, Videotron had 662,100 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,344,600 Québec households and organizations. For the tenth consecutive year, Videotron was ranked as Québec’s most respected telecommunications company, based on a Léger survey.
Customers probably will be asked to pay much more because cable+telco prices close to monopoly rates.
Videotron now is serving customers in Montreal (pr below) with the whole city set to upgrqde in the near future. Hitron modems are going into use in the U.S., presumably at Altice's Suddenlink and at GCI in Alaska. (Also below).
right now any residential Gigabit solution that we provide involves bringing fiber closer to the home, but we haven’t been specific about the details. At the end of 2016, DOSCIS 3.1 will enable Gigabit over coaxial and that’s how we’ll widely deploy across all our markets.
DOCSIS 3.1 gear will soon cost no more than 3.0 gear did in 2014.