RDK Management said that its open-sourced Reference Design Kit (RDK) is now deployed in 50 million devices around the world.

The group also said that its community membership has expanded to more than 400 companies.

RDK Management made what has become its annual benchmark announcement from ANGA COM in Cologne, Germany. In March of 2018, it declared that RDK had been deployed in 40 million devices.

Related: RDK Partners with Metrological for Easier OTT App Integration

“Service providers around the globe recognize that RDK gives them ultimate control over their software roadmaps and data within the connected home, across video, broadband and IoT connected devices,” said Steve Heeb, president and general manager of RDK. “As such, there are now more than 50 million deployed devices powered by RDK software.

“On the broadband side, RDK has become the preferred software stack for broadband gateways from leading suppliers, and they are focused on providing RDK solutions across DOCSIS, DSL, and PON," Heeb added. "For video, the RDK App Framework and RDK Video Accelerator make it easier to develop and manage apps in a consistent way across RDK video devices. And, notably, RDK also provides a common method for service providers to leverage device management and ‘big data’ to improve broadband and video performance.”

CommScope is making its first appearance at ANGA COM in Cologne, Germany since acquiring Arris, and it will be subsequently demoing a range of new DOCSIS-enabled cable network technologies, as well as its own virtual CCAP.

With insurgent makers of software-powered Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP) tech such as Harmonic and Nokia nipping at its heels, CommScope is showing off the E6000 vCore, a fully virtualized CCAP that it says is already in trials, with “significant deployments anticipated later this year.”

CommScope’s virtualized CCAP will initially run on the company’s dedicated CCAP hardware, the E6000. But it will soon move to support Intel-powered x86 servers as the vendor’s cable operator clients move into Distributed Access Architecture (DAA).

Meanwhile, with wireless competitors touting the ultra low latency of their developing 5G networks, CommScope is demoing a low latency version of DOCSIS that will reduce typical latency from around 25 milliseconds to around 1 millisecond.

CommScope’s demo will compare gaming applications on regular service flows against games running over prioritized low-latency flow. Among many other applications, low-latency DOCSIS, the company noted, will be crucial to gaming and virtual reality performance, as well as collision-avoidance systems in self-driving cars.

Also being demo’d: Frequency-Division Duplex (aka Soft FDD), which allows operators to remotely conduct frequency splits via software. Soft FDD uses Full Duplex DOCSIS technology and provides a foundation for symmetrical services, CommScope said

“Residential home networks now rival enterprises in both demands from internet-connected devices and for performance of managed services,” said Kevin Keefe, CommScope’s senior VP and segment leader, network & cloud. “We are developing technology and architectures that result in smarter, adaptive networks. With these announcements, we’re accelerating the march toward virtual, automated and orchestrated infrastructure capable of delivering massive amounts of capacity and bandwidth.”

Harmonic is introducing a slate of new product features and functionality for its CableOS virtualized CCAP platform ahead of ANGA COM in Cologne, Germany this week.

Reps for the San Jose, Calif.-based technology vendor didn’t offer MCN a briefing before hopping on the plane to Germany. But they did send out a press release touting a new “low latency mode,” which they claim enables “significantly enhanced video game quality of experience.”

They also tub-thumped support for Intel’s new 1-RU server CPUs and 100G NIC, claiming double throughput performance through this hardware.

Harmonic also hyped virtual segmentation with network-wide QoS capabilities, allowing operators to increase bandwidth on existing coaxial cable to feed Remote PHY devices without deploying fiber to the new segmentation site

Other new features and functions: simultaneous support of centralized and distributed architectures on a single core server; interoperability with standard-compliant, third-party Remote PHY devices; and integration of the CableOS Pebble 1 Remote PHY device into third-party nodes.

Harmonic also said that its new CableOS software also supports hybrid Remote PHY operations for centralized, remote shelf and node deployments.

"Adding cutting-edge virtual segmentation technology and other advanced features to our CableOS offering, and riding the Intel curve to deliver more bandwidth performance with less power, Harmonic is again moving cable access technology a giant step forward,” > said Asaf Matatyaou, VP of solutions and product management for Harmonic’s cable access business, in a statement.

Related: Harmonic: Volume Deployment of CableOS is on the Way

During its first-quarter earnings call, Harmonic said that 670,000 cable customers are getting their network service through CableOS right now in markets mostly in the U.S. and Europe, a 24% uptick over the first quarter of 2018.

Harmonic also has quite a few trials underway, many with tier 1 operators including Comcast.

The tech company said CableOS was successfully deployed recently in a traditional HFC architecture with the core server in one location and compact 1RU CableOS Wave Remote PHY shelves deployed in remote locations.

Harmonic's CableOS Wave Remote PHY shelves use less than 130 Watts, bringing further power, space and cost savings to the operator.