Written By Todd McCrum, Director, Product Management, Cable Access business unit, Cisco

By now, the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo is in full swing, and, as (widely!) expected, the matter of DOCSIS 3.1 - the latest iteration of the Data Over Cable Service Interface Spec - is a front-of-mind topic for pretty much everyone here.

Why: Because it's the next step, and a major one, for all multichannel video providers needing to stay ahead of the 50+ percent year-over-year growth in broadband consumption. (Which is everyone.) We've said it before, we'll say it again: Nothing, in the history of consumable goods, has grown at a sustained rate of 50 percent or more, year over year, for this long. So far, we're at about year seven - this all started right around when Netflix stopped mailing DVDs, and let us all start streaming video.

Refresher: DOCSIS 3.1 affords 50% better spectral efficiency in both the upstream and downstream signal directions. This is huge, both in terms of getting to Gigabit services, and in serving up broadband to multiple devices. After all - burst speed is burst speed, and it's important - but as important is device concurrency. Meaning, yes, you have to get a fast connection into the home or business, but you also have to support all the IP-connected screens that want that connection.

We're all over DOCSIS 3.1 - making it backwards-compatible to all fielded DOCSIS 3.0 gear, and including it from the get-go with our flagship cBR-8 Evolved CCAP line. We'll be moving to field testing with major MSO's in November this year.

So - we're ready for D3.1. Are you? Come see us at booth#2634 to make your go-to-market plan!