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.”

Arris said that European operator Eltrona is the latest cable company to deploy its Remote Pay distributed architecture solution to deliver DOCSIS 3.1-powered 1-gig broadband service in Luxembourg.

Eltrona is using the Arris E6000 Gen 2 converged cable access platform, along with E6000N R-PHY, which provides both the CCAP core and R-PHY device. In this approach, which is defined in the CableLabs Modular Headend Architecture, the PHY layer is moved from the CCAP into a node or remote shelf, but the MAC processing, provisioning and monitoring functions remain in the headend.

Related: Arris Touts Euro Customer ‘Wins’ at IBC

Also being deployed: Arris Touchstone TG3443 Cable Voice Gatgeways, which include 4x4 802.11ac dual band radios.

“Our focus for the remainder of the year continues to be on expanding our E6000 footprint,” declared Arris CEO Bruce McClelland during Arris’ second-quarter earnings call in August.

“With its market-leading density and throughput, coupled with its flexibility to support DOCSIS3.0, DOCSIS3.1, video and Remote PHY, [the E6000] continues to provide the best value for cable operators,” McClelland added. “And you can watch for a new DOCSIS3.1 launch announcement from a major international customer over the next few weeks that leverages our full Network & Cloud portfolio, as well as CPE products.”

Arris is using the ongoing IBC Conference in Amsterdam to announce a flurry of deals with European operators.

In Germany, the vendor’s E6000 Gen 2 converged edge router is being used by Liberty Global to launch DOCSIS 3.1 services.

Sky Italia, meanwhile, will upgrade its consumer set-tops to hybrid models from Arris to comply with new European Commission energy efficiency regulations. The Arris devices also add HEVC encoding and 802.11ac Wi-Fi capabilities.

In Denmark, Stofa is using Arris vManager is it looks to accelerate its deployment of gigabit-speed services. The product allows Stofa to automate the provisioning of new nodes on its network, securing, managing and configuring the devices with accuracy and speed.

And in the UK, Freesat selected Arris to develop its first subscription-free, 4K HDR video devices. The deal represents the first line of Arris products for the UK retail channel. It will also result in the first KreaTV device for DVB-S2. The devices will be available in UK retail outlets in the beginning of next year.

"We're gaining steady momentum in the international market by responding quickly to the evolving needs of our service provider customers and consumers around the world," said Steve McCaffery, president and managing director, international business operations group for Arris, in a statement. "Our customers appreciate the diversity of solutions that we offer, and our latest design wins attest to our leadership and expertise in helping them deliver tomorrow's entertainment and broadband experiences."

IBC 2018 kicked off Thursday. 

Arris has announced a broad-reaching deal with Australia’s NBN Co. to provide Full Duplex-capable, DOCSIS 3.1-powered broadband services to 3 million of the cable operator’s subscribers by 2020.

Under the agreement, Arris will supply its E6000 Gen 2 CCAP platform and its OM4100 OptiMax 4x4 segmentable nodes, as well last its CM8200B DOCSIS 3.1 modems.

Related: Arris to Be ‘More Selective’ With Its Set-Top Box Business

Arris will also provide its ServAssure NXT network management platform, as well as the resources of its global software and devices services team.

“They’re able to add bandwidth and pay 65% - 75% of what they paid before,” noted Dan Whalen, president of Arris’ Network & Cloud division, in an interview with Multichannel News. “They’re able to do more using less power and less space.”

Whalen noted the preponderance of fiber competition in the Australian region. The ability for NBN to provide the gigabit symmetrical services enabled by Full Duplex DOCSIS will be a significant competitive boost for the operator, Whalen said.

He compared the Down Under market to Latin America and the Caribbean, noting a shortage of technologists in the region familiar with next-generation HFC network. NBC, Whalen said.

“There’s a lot of fiber-to-the-curb and fiber-to-the-home, but but not a lot of people to support DOCSIS," he said.

This has benefited Arris’ growing Global Services unit, Whalen added, which is being called upon by NBN to help manage the network.

“They’re looking for someone to step in and manage the end-to-end operation of their network,” he explained.

Related: Arris Hit Hard By Shortages of Capacitors, DRAM

At least on the CPE side, Arris has been troubled of late, as all companies working in the electronics business, by shortages of components, including memory chips and capacitors.

SNL Kagan analyst Jeff Heynen said he believes the impact of these component shortages should be short-lived. “Though it will have an impact on how quickly DOCSIS 3.1 devices can be deployed,” he added in a direct tweet to Multichannel.

For his part, Whalen downplayed the effect of the shortages in Arris’ Australian DOCSIS 3.1 deployment.

“I feel pretty comfortable that we have workarounds,” he said. 

Ahead of announcing its Q4 financial results later today, Arris said several of its MSO customers in North America and Europe are part of a first wave of operators that are deploying Gen 2 modules for the E6000, its flagship Converged Cable Access Platform.

The Gen 2 modules, announced last fall, enable MSOs to upgrade existing chassis with up to a 70% increase in headend service group density without eating up more rack space, Arris said. MSOs are also looking to those modules as they move ahead with gigabit services and move to distributed access architectures and remote PHY implementations.  

RELATED: Cable-Tec Expo: Arris Paves Path to Remote PHY

The Gen 2 modules consists of the Downstream Cable Access Module 2 (DCAM-2), the Upstream Cable Access Module 2 (UCAM-2), and the Router System Module 2 (RSM-2).

Customers that have started to roll out Gen 2 modules include Comcast, Grande Communications, TDS Telecom, WideOpenWest, Liwest (Austria), NOS Comunicações (Portugal), and Toya (Poland).

Arris also announced that Ruckus Networks, the wireless-focused company acquired late last year, has signed a global OEM deal with Dell EMC. That deal includes access points, controllers, and Ruckus’s Cloudpath secure network access software, which can support access for bring-your-own-device, guest user and IT-owned device scenarios.

The deal also includes access to Ruckus-made IoT and CBRS LTE products.

RELATED: CBRS Spectrum to Open Windows of Opportunity for Cable Ops

"The Dell EMC brand and market reach is complementary to our own and represents a significant path for growth for both companies across a range of vertical markets, including education, public infrastructure, the federal government and service providers,” Dan Rabinovitsj, president, Ruckus Networks, said in a statement.

Suddenlink Communications has begun to roll out the E6000, Arris’s flagship, high-density converged cable access platform (CCAP) that supports DOCSIS 3.0 today, and will be  upgradable to DOCSIS 3.1, cable’s emerging multi-gigabit IP platform.

With the E6000 (pictured), Suddenlink can provide customers with high-speed data services of 1Gbps and beyond, Arris noted.

Suddenlink’s deployment of the E6000 comes about nine months after the cable operator  announced “Operation Gigaspeed,” an initiative that will position Suddenlink to deliver 1-Gig speeds. At the time, Suddenlink said it will raise its top high-speed Internet speeds to 1 Gbps in 90% of its footprint by 2017.

"We're committed to providing consumers with the connected experiences they want, and as a result, our customer base is growing rapidly," Ivan Lamoureux, Suddenlink’s vice president of network engineering, said in a statement. "The E6000 CER is a key part of this commitment and our technology infrastructure."

The E6000’s “density saves valuable space and power while delivering remarkable downstream and upstream capacity,” Bruce McClelland, president of network and cloud and global services at Arris, added. “Most importantly, it protects customer investments, offering a clear path to the future transition to DOCSIS 3.1 and the ability to support data services of 1Gbps and beyond.”