German operator Unitymedia has announced plans to introduce the new cable standard Docsis 3.1 into its network in the coming year. After several months of testing, Unitymedia hopes to replace the existing Docsis 3.0 network with the new standard and offer downstream speeds of 1 Gbps in German cities during 2017, according to Network Chief, Reik Elftmann.
Docsis 3.1 significantly increases the capacity, stability and robustness of a cable network, as well as improving transmission quality so that data can be transferred at higher speeds, Elftmann said. While it is theoretically possible to offer downstream speeds of 1 Gbps on Docsis 3.0, Unitymedia said the new standard was significantly less sensitive to disturbances.
Long term, Unitymedia predicted download and upload speeds of up to 10 Gbps could be possible on the new cable standard. The company recently announced that it has completed an upgrade of its network to offer a top speed of 400 Mbps to all customers.
