ORLANDO – North American cable operators face a number of unresolved operational, organizational, equipment and training issues as they gear up to test and deploy the industry’s next-generation access architecture, known as Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP), according to leading cable engineers.
Appearing at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) Cable-Tec Expo conference in Orlando last week, the cable technologists said MSOs must grapple with all these issues before installing new CCAP equipment in their headends. They recommended that other cable operators follow Comcast’s recent example in running operational trials before actually testing and deploying CCAP devices, which are designed to combine the functions of the now-separate cable modem termination system (CMTS) and edge QAM gear in one super-dense, more efficient, less costly platform.
“It's not just about dropping in another box,” said Jorge Salinger, VP of access architecture for Comcast, which has been running an operational readiness trial with pre-CCAP gear in an undisclosed market for several weeks. “It’s a different beast to manage and deploy. It’s a different ballgame when all of your revenue is running through one box. You have to be careful.”
Salinger has said Comcast aims to launch some small CCAP deployments before the end of the year. "We hope to begin small-scale deployments later this year, if the equipment is available," he said. “Then we’ll ramp up starting next year. The implementation will take some time.”
Other major North American and European cable providers are getting ready for CCAP as well. In the U.S., both Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have talked about upgrading their networks for the new access architecture. For instance, Cox officials say they are now evaluating their deployment options and developing their labs to support testing once the equipment becomes available.
Equipment vendors insist that they will be ready for this wave. Such leading equipment suppliers as Cisco Systems, Motorola Mobility (now part of Google) and Arris have already announced plans to develop CCAP products. Plus, such other vendors as CommScope, Harmonic and Casa Systems have now unveiled gear, expanding the number of known CCAP players to six.
Industry experts say cable’s embrace of CCAP is significant because the technology is designed to speed the industry’s shift towards an all-IP infrastructure. By combining the functions of the now-separate cable modem termination system (CMTS) and edge QAM devices in one platform, the technology enables cable providers to mix and match heavy loads of DOCSIS IP and QAM video traffic more freely and easily.
As a result, proponents contend that the technology will slash space and power requirements and operational costs in the cable headend while accelerating cable’s rollout of IP video. They also argue that CCAP will accelerate the deployment of new cable services, such as network-based DVRs.
But, while industry plans call for the new access technology to be “massively deployed” by Comcast, Time Warner Cable and possibly other large MSOs next year, Salinger said providers must still do a ton of work to build a strong foundation for CCAP. For example, he said, cable operators should conduct cross-training between their broadband data and video groups, employees who have historically operated separately. He recommended that these cross-training sessions start at the engineering level to create a pyramid of learning from smaller groups to larger groups.
Because no fully CCAP-compliant equipment is available from suppliers yet, cable operators cannot really test CCAP devices on their plant right now. But, Salinger said, cable providers can still take advantage of edge QAM devices that are now becoming CCAP-enabled as they expand their narrowcast services. Such an approach, Salinger argued, will not “strand the investment” in the short term. Plus, he said, it will let cablecos shift to a full CCAP platform over time as vendors pump out fully CCAP-compliant devices.
In its recent operational readiness trial, Comcast deployed edge QAM and CMTS devices that weren’t fully CCAP-compliant. Despite this disadvantage, Salinger said the trial gave Comcast a chance to see which kinds of tools, including traps and alarms, are needed for CCAP.
John Holobinko, VP of strategy and business development for Motorola Mobility, talked about how cable operators should align their service groups for CCAP. Holobinko recommended that cable operators plan for the alignment of separate video and data service groups, which differ in size. With CCAP and edge QAM devices offering a new economic model, he argued that old methods, such as QAM striping, are no longer viable.
– Cartt.ca staff
