Vodafone Deutschland is preparing the introduction of the new cable standard DOCSIS 4.0 and intends to test the system in a trial next year, provided that the first hardware prototypes are available.
This was confirmed by Peter Breitwieser, head of product management cable fixed at Vodafone Deutschland, in an online press conference. Depending on the upgrade stage and network topology, DOCSIS 4.0 will allow a downstream data rate of up to 10Gbps and an upstream data rate of up to 6Gbps.
With the currently used DOCSIS 3.1, Vodafone Deutschland offers up to 1Gbps downstream and up to 50Mbps upstream in the existing frequency spectrum up to 862 MHz.
With the upgrade of its cable network to the new standard, Vodafone is responding to the high demand for high-speed products, explained Breitwieser. One in three new customers is currently signing up for 1Gbps internet access, and more than half of the new customers are opting for a tariff with 400Mbps or more.
The Corona pandemic has increased demand because more people are working from home, Breitwieser said. This also results in rising upstream requirements. The DOCSIS 4.0 specification is designed to support higher upstream bandwidths.
