Canadian cable operator Videotron said it has begun to rollout DOCSIS 3.1, the multi-gigabit IP platform for HFC networks.
Videotron said it has begun to seed the market with D3.1-based modems alongside network upgrades, with testing already underway in Montréal-area homes and businesses.
Videotron said it will use the beta to collect data on user behavior and to test the technology prior to commercial deployment.
The operator has not announced any speed or pricing packages for DOCSIS 3.1-based products. The current spec supports up to 10 Gbps downstream and at least 1 Gbps upstream. A Full-Duplex version of D3.1 is targeting symmetrical speeds.
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Videotron’s current high-end service, Internet Giga, is based on DOCSIS 3.0, maxes out at 940 Mbps down and 50 Mbps up, and sells for C$149.95 per month.
Fellow Canadian MSO Shaw Communications expects to deploy 3.1 throughout its wireline network by the end of its fiscal 2017.
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"We are announcing a very important and exciting development today," Manon Brouillette, president and CEO of Videotron, said in a statement. "With this deployment, we are laying the first stones in the foundations of the Internet of the future. We will be able to offer better Internet access service that meets the growing speed and bandwidth needs of our customers, who are watching more and more HD and UHD videos and adopting the cloud, the Internet of Things, augmented reality and virtual reality."
Videotron has about 1.69 million cable TV subs, and 1.59 million high-speed Internet customers.
