The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) and CableLabs said they are teaming up to improve energy management for cable, providing the industry with strategies and innovations aimed at cutting energy consumption and costs in facilities, plants and fleet, as well as in the home.
The two organizations said they are expanding their existing relationship to ensure greater coordination between two distinct areas: CableLabs’ focus within the customer premise, and SCTE’s responsibility for the remainder of the industry’s technical operations. The increased cooperation includes greater sharing of information and resources, as well as cross-representation that assures that activities undertaken by either organization are aligned with the needs of the other, they said.
They will highlight their handiwork at exhibits and sessions at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, set for September 22-25. A sampling of what’s on tap:
-A demo at the CableLabs exhibit of “sleep mode” on a Samsung six-tuner DOCSIS 3.0 set-top box that’s designed to reduce power draw by 40 percent;
-SCTE’s “Energy 2020” session on Wednesday, Sept. 24 that will be keynoted by John Schanz, executive vice president and Chief Network Officer of Comcast and that will outline the product requirements and standards needed for cable’s next generation of energy efficient networks and equipment;
-Workshop sessions on “Optimizing Energy Consumption” and “Ensuring Energy on Thursday, Sept. 25.
“CableLabs is supporting energy efficiency initiatives on many fronts, by providing substantial technical support to the STB Voluntary Agreement, updating existing specifications to address low-power modes, and driving energy efficiency into the forefront of new industry specifications”, said Ralph Brown, CTO of CableLabs, in a statement.
“Through our pioneering Smart Energy Management Initiative and now the Energy 2020 program, SCTE is creating the standards, the best practices and the industry consensus that are enabling cable operators to reduce costs and ensure energy availability in cable networks,” added Daniel Howard, senior vice president and CTO of SCTE.
