Cable’s Continuing Shift to Fiber

With net broadband subscribers down year after year due to fixed wireless and new fiber projects, cable providers now face substantial competition and need to reevaluate their upgrade strategies. The capital expense expenditures to support DOCSIS 3.1 and 4.0 rollouts are difficult to justify if there’s insufficient growth and a slim return on investment anticipated. However, cable providers are faced with diverting choices to upgrade their existing plant. They may choose to move from DOCSIS 3.1 to “DOCSIS 3.1+” as the easiest way to preserve their investment in traditional cable tech, while smaller operators see DOCSIS 3.1 as a temporary stop before migrating to fiber. Fiber provides a clear-cut upgrade path accessible today and future-proofed for tomorrow for cable operators that is competitive with existing and future fiber providers in the market.