Privately owned US cableco Cox Communications has informed Fierce Cable that it is now in the process of testing DOCSIS 3.1 HFC technology with its employees, ahead of a planned deployment later in 2017. A spokesperson told the website: ‘Our current deployment schedule is ahead of many providers: 40% of the households we serve nationwide will have access to Gigabit speeds by the end of 2017, and we will continue to aggressively expand the availability of our customers going forward. Our next phase is to drive broad Gigabit availability nationwide via DOCSIS 3.1.’
Previously, as part of its push to introduce ‘G1GABLAST’-branded services across its existing 18-state footprint, Cox has rolled out GPON-based fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity in selected markets. As such, G1GABLAST products are now said to be available in parts of 13 states.