Following some fits and starts, Arris said it has launched its first retail DOCSIS 3.1 modem, the SB8200, via Amazon.com, with additional retail outlets anticipated to follow.
At last check, the listing for the $199.99 D3.1 product on Amazon says it’s temporarily out of stock, though that status on the Amazon site is expected to change soon.
Update:The Amazon site shows that product is in stock, with product arriving between March 1 and March 6.
Arris is also selling the SB8200 directly on its own web site, which makes note that the product is approved by Comcast and Cox Communications, while approval by Charter Communications and others are pending.
Comcast and Cox sites listing approved DOCSIS modems both confirm that those respective MSOs have certified the SB8200 to work on their respective HFC networks. CableLabs certified the SB8200 for retail distribution last summer.
RELATED: Xfinity, Cox Brands Appear on Arris DOCSIS 3.1 Modem Packaging
Initial D3.1-certified modems are hybrid devices in that they support both D3.1 and DOCSIS 3.0-based traffic. That will enable MSOs to seed the market with DOCSIS 3.1-capable modems as they prepare their networks.
While Cox Communications has not announced when it will start to deploy DOCSIS 3.1-based services, Comcast has been rolling out D3.1 in several markets, and confirmed that Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Chattanooga, Tenn., are among the additional markets that will get access to D3.1-based 1-Gig broadband service later this year.
RELATED: Comcast Sets DOCSIS 3.1 Expansion, Launches 1-Gig in Detroit
UPDATE: Cox plans to start DOCSIS 3.1 rollouts later this year, an official said.
Arris’s SB8200 includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports, 32x8 D3.0 channel bonding, two ODFM downstream channels and two upstream OFDMA channels, and support for IPv6 and IPv4.
“The SB8200 is for consumers who demand the best possible Internet connection,” Sandy Howe, SVP and GM, consumer products group at Arris, said in a statement. “Whether they want to invest in the future of fast, get the most out of their broadband connection, or speed up every minute they spend online, we’re giving them the power to choose.”
Cox and Comcast have also approved Netgear’s first DOCSIS 3.1 device, the CM1000, which sells for $179.99.
Sagemcom, Askey, CastleNet, Technicolor and Ubee Interactive have also obtained CableLabs certification for their initial batch of D3.1 products.
Linksys announced at CES last month that it plans to launch a DOCSIS 3.1 modem, the CM3132, by April with an MSRP of $199.99.
