Cisco announced the availability of its Infinite Broadband Remote PHY solution (RPHY) for cable access networks, part of its distributed access architecture strategy, targeting cable operators seeking to address the broadband needs of customers via support for new applications such as OTT streaming video and 5G mobile backhaul as HFC plant is transformed into a wireline aggregation network for all types of access.
Cisco noted that Remote PHY and DOCSIS 3.1, two CableLabs standards, can be combined to expand capacity of the cable HFC plant. Building on the Cisco cBR-8 converged broadband router and GS7000 node platforms, RPHY is designed to enable reduced power, cooling and hub site space requirements to offer significant cost of ownership benefits. The technology provides the foundation for Cisco's virtualisation and full duplex DOCSIS strategy.
Cisco's new RPHY solution is based on open, standard software that was contributed to Cable Labs OpenRPD forum in 2016. The open source initiative provides an ecosystem of remote PHY device (RPD) vendors and allows operators to select the RPD vendor that best meets their specific requirements without becoming locked into a single vendor's proprietary technology.
Cisco stated that it is planning to conduct interoperability testing between OpenRPD vendors at a third-party testing facility. Among the companies cited as planning to participate in the testing are VECTOR Technologies, BKtel networks and Teleste.
Cisco noted that the RPHY solution has been shipping to customers in multiple countries since April this year and cited comments from companies evaluating or deploying the technology including Cox Communications, Liberty Global and Comcast Cable.
In conjunction with the launch, Cisco has also introduced its RPHY deployment automation software, based on model-driven network configuration protocol (NetConf) and Yang technology. The cable automation software is designed to ensure that the new RPHY devices can be automatically provisioned, delivering savings in terms of time and cost compared with manual provisioning.
