Arris is in early deployments of a software upgrade for its flagship DOCSIS 3.0 C4 cable modem termination system, which the vendor claims effectively doubles the CMTS's downstream capacity -- to deliver up to 343 Megabits per second with eight-channel bonding -- without the need for any wiring or hardware changes.
The eXtended Downstream Cable Access Module (XD CAM) release 7.4 field upgrade is available for purchase to the entire installed base of C4 DOCSIS 3.0 CMTSs.
Initially the C4 was available with a 16-channel downstream cable access module; the XD CAM upgrade provides 32 6-MHz downstream channels (or 24 8-MHz channels). According to Arris, the increased downstream density simplifies the transition to eight-channel bonding and gives cable operators the ability to deliver more bandwidth per subscriber at a lower cost than previously possible.
Arris announced the XD cable access module last fall.
Also available in release 7.4 is support for IPv6 as well as DOCSIS 3.0 multicast traffic. Comcast recently completed successful testing of a live application of native dual stack (IPv4 and IPv6) for its customers in the Denver area using Arris's C4 CMTS.
"Each time we upgrade a C4's capacity and density, we lower its total cost of ownership," Bruce McClelland, president of Arris's Broadband Communications Systems unit, said in a statement. "The XD CAM is a highly cost effective way to double downstream capacity by simply loading new software, without significant service disruption or configuration changes, and noticeably improves the customer's broadband user experience."
Arris's two biggest customers are Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
