Comcast, Spectrum, Cox, & More Make “Great Strides” Toward the Launch of 10G Internet

CableLabs, a research and development group for the cable industry, said it made great strides in delivering super high-speed internet to customers last year. The lab’s collaborative initiative combines several technologies to support speeds up to 10 Gbps downstream soon and lower latency.

The lab said 10G internet is “closer to realization,” and it has made “significant strides” towards a widespread launch. CastleLabs said it “hit critical development, interoperability, collaboration, and deployment” milestones in 2023 through collaborations with Comcast, Charter, Cox, Mediacom, Midco, GCI, VodafoneZiggo, and others.

A reliable network is crucial to continued smooth internet usage as more devices go online. As more virtual experiences launch, 10G’s low latency helps provide a seamless experience with holodecks and light-field displays. 

CastleLabs said our “digital future will stall” without a network that can handle user demands. The 10G network will be ten times faster than the 1G speeds enabled now and applied equally to upstream and downstream traffic. More than 80% of U.S. households have access to 1G speeds, up from 4% in 2016.

Through collaboration with providers, CableLabs aims to stay ahead of consumer demand by creating a network that can handle the additional traffic. 

“When we announced the promise of 10G in 2019, we set ambitious goals on our 10G roadmap,” said Phil McKinney, president and chief executive officer at CableLabs. “We are pleased that our efforts have delivered transformative, next-generation technology that will support future generations.”

One advancement is DOCSIS 4.0 technology, which provides faster downloads with less buffering and an increased capacity to accelerate fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) adoption. 10G is well on its way to being realized due to advances in DOCSIS 4.0, which delivers symmetrical multigigabit speeds with increased reliability, high security, and low latency.

FTTP adoption also plays a part in another CastleLab collaborative effort. The acceleration of FTTP is imperative to harness the full potential of the passive optical network (PON). Last year, Comcast conducted the first Low Latency DOCSIS field trials, and CastleLabs certified the first cable modem that supports this technology.

Additionally, advances with the Coherent Passive Optical Networks (CPON) specification allow for an increased capacity per wavelength, extended reach, and a higher port density in preparation for future demands.

CastleLabs collaborated with several companies for physical deployment with cable broadband providers around the globe to adopt 10G. Charter continues expanding its U.S. network and selected several vendor partners to support network-wide symmetrical multi-gigabit service. Comcast’s Xfinity 10G network, the largest and fastest multi-gig rollout, upgraded service to 10 million homes and businesses as well as introduced next-generation internet powered by DOCSIS 4.0 to its first customers.

Cox tested DOCSIS 4.0 and committed to a multibillion-dollar annual infrastructure investment. This will build out its 10G network over the next several years. GCI and Midco said they are on track to meet 10G speeds by 2025. Mediacom began transitioning Iowa’s gigabit network to 10G. At the same time, Vodafone Ziggo, a Dutch subsidiary of Liberty Global, became the first company ever to conduct DOCSIS 4.0 tests on a live network.

CableLabs is a nonprofit that promotes innovation through research and development. Founded in 1988 by U.S. cable operators, it set the DOCSIS standard for cable internet access. The group’s members include companies like Comcast, Broadcom, Time Warner Cable, Intel, Netgear, Motorola, Cisco, and Texas Instruments are members, amongst others.