SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ATX Networks, a global leader in broadband access and media distribution solutions, today announced the results of its latest 2050 Project Survey, unique primary research that charts the long-term evolution of the Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial (HFC) network and provides MSOs with insights into what their peers are planning when it comes to technology upgrades and other issues impacting their current and future competitive standing.
Now in its fourth year, the 2024 edition of the survey documented a willingness among some MSOs to consider leveraging recently introduced technology that extends the downstream speed and capacity of DOCSIS 3.1 architectures. The survey also shows an uptick in interest in focusing on attributes beyond speed to compete with FTTH providers, such as reliability, low latency and superior end-user experience. Sustainability, especially as it relates to backup-power solutions, was another growing concern among MSOs, survey findings revealed.
“For more than 30 years and counting, the HFC network has been the gold standard for broadband delivery,” said ATX CTO Jay Lee. “Evolving that network to support multigigabit symmetrical services in an economic and environmentally friendly manner requires careful consideration of every step on the path to 10G. Each year, the ATX HFC evolution survey provides a snapshot of where MSOs stand in their HFC-to-FTTH transitions and their attitudes toward upcoming architectural and technology decisions that will impact their ability to meet subscriber demand and ward off competitive threats.”
This year’s results suggest that the number of technical options now confronting MSOs — including which flavor of DOCSIS 4.0 to adopt, new extensions to DOCSIS 3.1, upstream spectrum allocations and those related to moving to a Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) — may be contributing to deployment hesitations as MSOs recalculate the increasing number of variables that factor into their upgrade plans.
The 2024 Survey was based on the opinions of nearly 150 cable professionals, the highest participation in the research project’s history, the majority of which are located in North America.
Key findings from the 2024 survey include:
- More than 35% of respondents categorize the threat from FTTH competitors as Significant, an increase of 16% over the previous year
- Unified appeared as a DOCSIS 4.0 adoption option, along with FDD and FDX, for the first time in 2024, and captured 13% of survey takers’ responses
- Nearly half of all participants (42%) indicated that the availability of DOCSIS 3.1 Extended was prompting them to revisit DOCSIS 4.0 deployment decisions and timelines
- At 36%, Reliability was selected as the most important attribute, beyond speed and capacity, that would impact consumers’ selection of a broadband service
- Nearly 30% of participants predicted that it will take MSOs between 11 to 20 years to fully replace the coax plant in their networks
Other topics covered in the 2050 Project Survey include adoption rates of DAA, requirements for additional intelligence and telemetry capabilities in HFC actives, approaches to solving the Digital Divide, and the methodologies MSOs are using to gradually convert their coaxial plants to PON technology.
ATX will reveal the results of the 2024 survey in a webinar on Thursday, April 25, at 11 AM EDT. ATX CTO and outside plant expert Jay Lee will provide an analysis of the findings.
For more information about ATX’s next-gen outside plant and energy storage solutions, please visit https://atx.com.
About ATX Networks
ATX Networks is a global leader in broadband access and media distribution solutions. ATX’s market-leading and award-winning solutions are based on Agile Innovation design principles, enabling communications service providers to futureproof and evolve their networks in lockstep with market demand. ATX partners with the world’s most innovative cable, satellite, fixed telecom, wireless and media broadcast service providers to improve people’s lives by enabling affordable and reliable broadband connectivity and media content for everyone, everywhere. For further information, visit ATX at www.atx.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.
