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DOCSIS modem and gateway maker Hitron and chipmaker MaxLinear have teamed on the launch of the CMS-02, an embedded spectrum analysis module that enables MSOs to monitor their networks while keeping network downtime in check. 

The jointly-developed module, which works with DOCSIS 3.0 and DOCSIS 3.1, also simplifies network monitoring and analysis for cable operators deploying triple-play services by allowing the network to be continuously monitored at strategic locations, they said.

This ability to divide the network into smaller segments, they claimed, can reduce network disruptions while also helping MSOs to troubleshoot noise and interference issues.

The CMS-02 is designed to provide full spectrum upstream and downstream network monitoring beyond the DOCSIS spectrum, including video and MPEG layers, the companies said, noting that it can also be managed remotely.

Hitron said it will be conducting a field trial of 100 units on five different use-cases, including DOCSIS 3.1 nodes, fiber deep nodes, mid-split upgraded nodes, legacy hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) node augmentation, and headend monitoring and reporting.

“Locating upstream and return noise in the network has been a long-standing problem for cable operators and drives significant operational overhead,” Len Dauphinee, VP and CTO of MaxLinear’s Broadband Group, said in a statement. “MaxLinear’s Full-Spectrum Capture technology enables the Spectrum Analysis features of CMS-02. The CMS-02 increases the efficiencies from both the network operation and management standpoints, allowing cable operators to maximize the level of network performance and support that they can provide to their customers.”

“Our close collaboration with the MaxLinear engineering team on this product has resulted in a solution that is focused on addressing the network analysis pain points of cable operators,” added Greg Fisher, CTO for Hitron Technologies Americas.