FiberHome Launches AN5006 Series C-DOCSIS Products to Advance Standardization in Cable TV Networks
C114 — 9 9: After years of anticipation, China Broadcasting Network Co., Ltd. officially launched this 5 month, marking the end of a 4-year delay. The establishment has unified the broadcasting network under a single entity on paper. The industry for broadcasting network equipment is now expected to move away from disorder and enter a new phase of development.
Although China Broadcasting Network Corporation has been established, the industry recognizes that progress will be challenging due to the fragmented nature of provincial and municipal broadcasting networks. From a technical standpoint, inconsistent standards—such as one network per province or multiple standards within a single province—are common, necessitating immediate standardization efforts. Pan Cheng, Marketing Director of FiberHome's Access Product Line, stated that to compete with telecom operators, the broadcast network must first establish clear mainstream technical standards and deployment guidelines to build differentiated network and service capabilities.
Although China Broadnet is regarded as China's fourth major carrier, it has long lagged behind the three telecom giants in broadband services and currently holds a negligible market share. Pan Cheng believes that with fierce competition already established among the three telecom operators, simply following their strategies won't allow China Broadnet to showcase its unique strengths. With its nationwide high-quality cable network and exclusive media content, China Broadnet can pursue a differentiated path rather than acting solely as a pipe operator.
"Therefore, to meet the needs of triple-play integration and enhance the competitive advantage of broadcasting and television networks, cable TV networks must accelerate digitalization and two-way transformation, integrating features of both television and internet networks while unifying standards as soon as possible given current network conditions," Pan Cheng said. "Currently, different provinces and cities have adopted various standards based on their economic strength, network construction progress, and business requirements, resulting in a fragmented landscape of industry standards."
According to Pan Cheng, current two-way network upgrade technologies include HomePlug AV, ECAN, WiFi frequency reduction, MOCA, baseband EOC, and C-DOCSIS. The most widely adopted solutions are EOC based on HomePlug AV technology and CMTS based on C-DOCSIS technology. EOC is simple, cost-effective, and easy to deploy, leading to explosive growth in domestic user numbers in recent years. However, challenges remain regarding product interoperability and service QoS. To address these issues, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) has developed C-HomePlug AV technology based on the HomePlug AV standard, but no significant progress has been made so far. In contrast, C-DOCSIS, based on the DOCSIS 3.0 international standard, supports high-density deployment, high-bandwidth services, and robust QoS guarantees.
Pan Cheng believes that, considering future user needs and market competitiveness, the current C-DOCSIS standard—based on DOCSIS 3.0 and customized for China's unique requirements—will become one of the mainstream standards for China Broadnet's future two-way network upgrades. Commercialized, compact CMTS devices based on this standard not only inherit the technical advantages of traditional CMTS but also offer higher QoS at a lower cost. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and provincial operators are closely monitoring this development. Leading broadband operators such as Zhejiang Huasu, Shenzhen Tianwei, and Beijing Gehua have already begun large-scale deployments.
FTTH is widely deployed by telecom operators but has seen limited adoption among cable operators. This is largely because cable operators' core strength lies in their coaxial infrastructure; abandoning it would leave them more vulnerable to competition from telecom providers. However, with growing demand for high-bandwidth services and mandatory national regulations requiring fiber-to-the-home, the shift toward FTTH deployment by cable operators is inevitable.
"The lack of standardization in the broadcasting network and significant regional disparities have led the industry to call for a strong authoritative body to establish unified standards and drive their implementation," Pan Cheng noted. "Telecom operators issue technical standards and network deployment guidelines from the corporate headquarters, which local branches then execute. We frequently advise local broadcasting operators and hope that China Broadband Network Co., Ltd. will define an evolutionary path for industry standards, promoting gradual standardization of the broadcasting network. This approach will fundamentally advance the integration of telecommunications, broadcasting, and internet services."
