Channel Bonding

In 2006, BigBand Networks and Pace Micro collaborated on channel bonding interoperability. This technology, based on DOCSIS 3.0 specifications, were used to increase broadband access speeds. A demonstration consisting of the Cuda CMTS (cable modem termination system) and a prototype channel bonded DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem showed downstream rates in excess of 100 Mbps for the delivery of broadband data services and video content. Channel bonding was a tenet of DOCSIS 3.0 in which multiple downstream and upstream channels would be used together at the same time by a single subscriber. This reduced the time required to download rich video files such as movies and facilitated faster interactivity for intensive applications like multi-player games.

DOCSIS Specification Overview

DOCSIS, short for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, is an international telecommunications standard that allows high-speed data transfer over existing cable TV (CATV) system. It's the protocol that cable internet uses to provide broadband internet access.

Here are the primary DOCSIS specifications, along with their maximum downstream and upstream speeds:

1. DOCSIS 1.0/1.1: Introduced in 1997, it allowed for 38 Mbps downstream and 9 Mbps upstream. DOCSIS 1.1, introduced in 1999, added Quality of Service (QoS) features.
2. DOCSIS 2.0: Introduced in 2001, this specification doubled the upstream speed to 27 Mbps, while the downstream speed remained the same.
3. DOCSIS 3.0: Released in 2006, it introduced channel bonding, allowing multiple downstream and upstream channels to be used together for a single connection, significantly increasing the speed. It can theoretically support speeds of over 1 Gbps downstream and 200 Mbps upstream.
4. DOCSIS 3.1: Introduced in 2013, it added support for higher order modulation, more efficient usage of spectrum, and introduced a new type of channel bonding using OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) rather than the 6 MHz and 8 MHz wide channel bonding of DOCSIS 3.0. This can theoretically support speeds up to 10 Gbps downstream and 1-2 Gbps upstream.
5. DOCSIS 4.0: The most recent standard is DOCSIS 4.0. This specification increases capacity even more, supporting up to 10 Gbps both downstream and upstream, enabling symmetric multi-gigabit services.

The DOCSIS specifications have played a key role in the ability of cable broadband to offer increasingly faster speeds over the years, allowing it to compete effectively with other types of broadband technology.