Humax has joined a small but growing number of cable vendors to achieve certification for DOCSIS 3.1, the new multi-gigabit platform from CableLabs for HFC networks.
Humax said a D3.1-powered gateway, the HG3310, was certified in Cert Wave 116 at CableLabs. The model also sports dual-band concurrent 802.11ac WiFi, support for IP voice, and an option for MoCA 2.0, a platform for speedy home networking that’s optimized to run on in-home coax networks.
While that ensures that Humax’s product is interoperable with D3.1-based network gear, certification also clears the product for retail sale. MSOs typically require CableLabs certification for modems they lease to high-speed Internet subs.
Per the most updated list of CableLabs-certified products, a D3.1 chipset/reference design from Intel Corp. was also certified in wave 117. Several products with Broadcom silicon have already been certified for DOCSIS 3.1.
Other modem makers that have cleared the D3.1 hurdle include Arris (for a model tagged for retail distribution), along with Askey, CastleNet, Netgear, Sagemcom, Technicolor, and Ubee Interactive.
"With its improved spectral efficiency, DOCSIS 3.1 technology is helping MSOs meet the growing speeds demanded by end users including 1 Gbps and beyond. We're delighted to have obtained DOCSIS 3.1 certification for the HG3310 and are offering it for sale worldwide,” Frank Romeo, SVP of business development at Humax Americas, said in a statement.
Humax and other vendors are getting certified amid the early phases of MSO D3.1 deployments.
Among recent examples, WideOpenWest plans to launch D3.1-based gigabit services in five markets by the end of 2016. Comcast, which is leaning on Technicolor models in the early phases of its D3.1 rollout, has consumer trials underway in Atlanta and Nashville underway, with plans to expand its DOCSIS 3.1 footprint to Chicago, Detroit and Miami later this year.
