The intersections between mobile 5G and native DOCSIS/HFC infrastructure get more and more interesting, technologically and strategically. In this three-speaker session, technologists with CableLabs, Bell Labs Consulting, and Ericsson untangle the latest developments. First, CableLabs’ Jennifer Andreoli-Fang details how DOCSIS can be converged with 5G protocols and interfaces in a way that’s backwards-compatible within existing HFC plant -- because until that happens, mobile and wireline core networks will remain separate and isolated.
Next, Ericsson’s Sanjay Dhawan explains the implications of 5G low-latency requirements on HFC. While DOCSIS can handle median latencies in the 10-15 millisecond range, the one-way latency goal between 5G radios and Virtual RANs is typically 5 ms. That introduces a need to maximize fiber and optical switching in the access transport network.
Last not least, Bell Labs Consulting’s Amit Mukhopadhyay offers a “techno-economic comparison” of wired and wireless technologies, including HFC, fiber and copper, under different environments, to establish the relative “zones of advantages” for each solution. Throughput requirements, household densities, line-of-sight conditions, take rates, and opex/capex impacts are all covered.