New Coherent Optics Specs Start of ‘Sea Change’ in Data Distribution, Says CableLabs

Publication of two new CableLabs specifications on point-to-point coherent optics is “the beginning of a sea change for the way data is distributed into the network,” blogged Matt Schmitt, principal CableLabs architect. The new specs unveiled Friday, which CableLabs members and their “manufacturer partners” hope to bring to market quickly, have the potential to expand by a factor of 10 “the capacity of existing cable operator fiber access networks,” while also “meeting ever-increasing capacity demands at the lowest possible cost,” said Schmitt Monday. The opportunities with coherent optics technology “go well beyond improving service to residential broadband customers,” he said. Cable operators also are “ideally placed to support next-generation wireless services like 5G,” he said. “These networks will place network endpoints right where wireless transmitters are needed, and with plenty of capacity to support wireless demand growth in addition to wired growth.”