Denver— Switched digital may have won the prize as the hot new technology at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers’ Cable-Tec Expo, but the comeback award might be given to 1 Gigahertz transmission systems.
A technology that has been around for some time, 1 GHz enjoyed a revival at the show, with numerous new products. Among the companies showing off new 1 GHz products were Aurora Networks, Motorola Inc., C-COR Inc. and Scientific Atlanta Inc.
C-COR debuted its first GHz transmission system last year, and now it is seeing stronger interest among operators looking for options to grow their bandwidth supply in the future.
“You will be hearing about that more,” C-COR vice president of access strategy Bill Dawson said. “There is a reluctance to trading out technology, but there is a new idea that as I am buying new equipment, I might as well buy something that is the latest, greatest and will last over time.”
Still, it remains to be seen how many cable operators actually buy into 1 GHz systems.
During the chief technology officer’s panel session, Charter Communications Inc. CTO Marwan Fawaz said he was more confident in the cable operator’s existing 850 Megahertz of available spectrum than in the past.
“Obviously if I were building today I would go with 1 Gigahertz,” Fawaz said. “But when I look at my '850’ plant, I’m confident.”
