Upgrades to DOCSIS 4.0

Cable companies often make it sound like DOCSIS 4.0 is right around the corner. This is the technology upgrade that will increase overall speeds to multiple gigabits while also providing the option for symmetrical speeds. ATX Networks, a leading manufacturer of electronics for cable companies published the results of a survey in May of cable company executives that shows almost half of cable companies intend to implement DOCSIS 4.0 by the end of 2025. The survey showed that cable companies are taking different approaches on how to upgrade to DOCSIS 4.0. About one-third of the respondents to the survey said they would be happy to get symmetrical speeds using a network with the overall capacity of 1.2 GHz. Other cable companies intend to also upgrade the overall bandwidth capability of the network to 1.8 GHz. Finally, the survey showed that 15% percent of the cable companies don’t have plans to upgrade to DOCSIS 4.0. There are still cable companies that believe the best option is to convert directly to fiber. But that is by far the most expensive option.