" ITREALMS: Iskratel counsels operators: Ignore cable upgrades, focus on fiber

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Iskratel counsels operators: Ignore cable upgrades, focus on fiber

Cable operators in need of upgrades of their networks have been advised to look beyond latest cable upgrades and deploy fiber sooner rather than later to remain competitive, according to Iskratel’s latest executive white paper, reports ITRealms.

Giving this council at the Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) conference in France, the Iskratel through its Chief Architect, Simon Cimzar said, there is an increasing number of considerations that operators must make when looking to upgrade their existing networks 
Speaking on “GPON vs. DOCSIS 3.1 in Six Simple Points” Cimzar, insisted the customer should always be number one, which might mean that cable operators who don’t deploy fiber might be left behind.

“In the current market, cable operators are faced with an increasing number of competitors offering fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband services through gigabit-capable Passive Optical Networks (GPON. By using the DOSCIS 3.0 standard today, operators can theoretically offer gigabit services in the downstream, but find themselves limited by the upstream throughput it provides,” he said.

Equally, Cimza ssiad, this leaves operators with the quandary of whether to remain with the standard coax network and upgrade to the newer DOCSIS 3.1 standard, or make the leap and become FTTH operators themselves, just as he acknowledged that operators must perform a balancing act when choosing between the two options, a decision which the white paper further explores.

“The main question operators must ask themselves is whether the service disruptions of the move make changing from the coax network to a fiber-based solution unfeasible,” said Cimzar, stressing, there are many facets to this decision, but the business motivation is clear. Fiber deployments come at a lower Total Cost of Ownership and provide a better return on the initial investment than DOCSIS 3.1, which can be migrated to at the same cost but requires further, continued investment.

“Another important factor to bear in mind is the potential for symmetrical upload and download speeds that GPON offers – something which isn’t possible with cable,” he said, insisting that once the operators take into account the higher ongoing maintenance costs, smaller range of services offered and disruptive migration to DOSCIS 3.1, it becomes clear that GPON provides an option that makes sense for businesses and end-users alike.

 “Customers’ perception is simple: fiber is the future,” he added. “Cable operators are at a crucial juncture when it comes to network evolution and those who try to move forward without fiber may find themselves being left behind,” he submitted.

Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops


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