AOI Quantum30 3.0GHz Demo Shows Path Beyond DOCSIS 4.0 at SCTE TechExpo

Key Points

• AOI will showcase a live Quantum30 3.0GHz HFC network concept at SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta, September 29–October 2.
• The proof-of-concept will demonstrate a live downstream 3.0GHz signal over coaxial cable using working networking hardware.
• The demo includes a 3.0GHz concept amplifier, SC-QAMs, OFDM channels, and a 3.0GHz DOCSIS signal generator.
• AOI’s new 0GHz HFC white paper examines engineering challenges including cable attenuation, power, thermal demands, mechanical tolerances, and signal integrity.
• The company said the Quantum30 program is intended to help cable operators evaluate future HFC network upgrades beyond 1.8GHz DOCSIS 4.0 deployments.

AOI (Applied Optoelectronics )(NASDAQ: AAOI) is set to demonstrate its Quantum30 3.0GHz hybrid fiber-coaxial, or HFC, network concept at SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta, offering cable operators an early look at a potential path beyond 1.8GHz DOCSIS 4.0 networks. The live 3.0GHz demonstration will take place at booth H1448 from September 29 through October 2 and will use operational hardware to transmit downstream signals over a coaxial plant. 

AOI Quantum30 Demo Will Test Live 3.0GHz HFC Network Performance

The companies Quantum30 proof-of-concept is designed to demonstrate live downstream operation at 3.0GHz over coaxial cable infrastructure.

The demonstration includes a 3.0GHz concept amplifier, single-carrier quadrature amplitude modulation signals, known as SC-QAMs, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, or OFDM, channels, and a 3.0GHz DOCSIS signal generator.

AOI said the Quantum30 development work builds on the engineering foundation created for its Quantum18 Quantum Bandwidth product family. 

Cable Operators Look Beyond 1.8GHz DOCSIS 4.0 Network Capacity

The cable industry is currently deploying DOCSIS 4.0 technology that supports network capacity up to 1.8GHz. AOI said operators and equipment suppliers are already examining how cable networks can meet rising bandwidth demand after that stage of upgrades.

Expanding HFC network capacity toward 3.0GHz would require changes across the physical plant, including amplifier designs, power systems, and outside-plant infrastructure. AOI said DOCSIS and distributed access architecture, or DAA, layers will also need to evolve so operators can use the additional spectrum when it becomes available.

 AOI White Paper Details 3.0GHz HFC Engineering Challenges

A recntly published white paper called Beyond 1.8 GHz: Evaluating Paths to 3.0 GHz HFC Networks. The paper provides cable operators with a three-part decision framework that covers engineering constraints, possible technical responses, and operational and economic considerations.

According to AOI, moving to 3.0GHz creates several core engineering challenges:

• Higher cable attenuation at increased frequencies.
• Greater power consumption and thermal-management requirements.
• Tighter mechanical tolerances throughout the network.
• More demanding signal-integrity requirements.

The company said its research is intended to help operators begin planning now for network decisions that could be needed before a 3.0GHz industry standard is finalized.

 New Amplifier Designs Could Shape Future 3.0GHz Cable Networks

The AOI white paper examines multiple amplifier architectures that may be considered for 3.0GHz HFC networks.

These include high-total-capacity-power, or high-TCP, wideband architectures; low-TCP distributed-gain architectures; split-band and channelized systems; and hybrid analog-digital approaches.

AOI recommends that operators retain flexibility in network planning, selectively modernize outside-plant infrastructure, and look beyond 3.0GHz when making long-term capacity decisions.

 AOI Seeks Industry Feedback on Future 3.0GHz Cable Standards

AOI said it developed the Quantum30 demonstration to show cable operators working 3.0GHz hardware, collect direct feedback, and contribute engineering findings to the standards process.

The company said the demonstration is intended to help the industry better understand the engineering requirements for a potential 3.0GHz HFC standard as cable networks prepare for rising bandwidth needs.