The Cabling Podcast

Broadband industry talk with Dell’Oro Group VP Jeff Heynen

Last month, CI&M's co-publication in Endeavor Business Media, Broadband Technology Report, sat down for a Zoom interview with Dell'Oro Group vice president Jeff Heynen, renowned market analyst for the broadband access and home networking industries. This episode of The Cabling Podcast delivers the audio from that talk, as we seek to give our audience of information and communications technology (ICT) vendors, contractors, and installers the benefit of Heynen's view into the current broadband access market, particularly in the areas of HFC and pure fiber-optic connectivity deployments. 

Heynen joined Dell'Oro Group in 2018, and is responsible for the technology market research firm's Broadband Access and Home Networking program. Prior to Dell’Oro Group, he spent over 12 years in broadband and video industry analysis, working with S&P Global Market Intelligence, Infonetics Research and IHS Markit as a research director focused on the broadband access and video segments. Heynen’s research and analysis have been cited in leading trade and business publications including the Wall Street Journal, SDxCentral, Multi-Channel News, New York Times, Light Reading, Los Angeles Times, Investor’s Business Daily, FierceWireless, and Barron’s. He has also appeared as a perennial invited speaker at numerous telecom industry conferences.

Our interview is based on information from Heynen's blog published by Dell'Oro this winter, where he forthrightly predicts that the broadband access and home networking market will remain resilient in 2023. As stated by Heynen in the blog: 

"For mature markets, is rare to see consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth. But that is indeed what has occurred, as 2021 revenue growth was 16% and 2022 growth over 2021 is currently expected to be around 12%, reaching just over $18 billion worldwide ... In 2023, albeit nowhere near the double-digit percentage growth we have seen over the last two years...at this point, it is safe to [forecast] 5-7% revenue growth ... Though slower, the revenue growth this year shows the continued emphasis on expanding and improving broadband network capacity by operators, as well as state and national governments."

To begin our interview, Heynen (00:46) is asked by senior editor Matt Vincent to recap his assessment of 2022 in the context of cable MSOs’ broadband initiatives. "There's been a clear focus on fiber investments," he says. "When you talk specifically about [traditional] cable operators, they too are making their own investments in fiber infrastructure, albeit quietly. We're seeing a very steady rise in the purchase of remote OLT modules to be placed in existing optical node locations to start peeling off fiber subscribers in competitive areas and in markets where it makes sense to begin offering fiber services, particularly in new build scenarios. "

Asked about expectations regarding what cable MSOs will do this year (02:42), Heynen adds, "They're going to start preparing their outside plants to support the DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade cycle. The DOCSIS 3.1 mid-split and high-split initiatives to allocate more upstream bandwidth to subscribers, that's certainly going to occupy most of their time this year. We also have smaller cable operators that are converting and cutting over to fiber, in addition to also doing mid-splits and high-splits where it makes sense."

In terms of what challenges cable MSOs and BSPs may face as they attempt to reach these goals (04:11), Heynen remarks, "I think for emerging fiber providers and those that are still in the midst of rolling out fiber, labor shortages are still going to be a challenge, as are supply chain issues."

Whereas his blog indicated that there’s a feeling among some on Wall Street that fiber technology is obviating traditional HFC (06:20), when asked what cable operators might do to shift such a perception, Heynen notes, "Just because a competitor comes in with a supposedly better technological option, doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to provide you with the same level of reliability that the cable operators have demonstrated for years, so that's something they're going to have to highlight. They're going to have to expand into home networking offerings, managed home Wi-Fi, really highlighting parental controls, cybersecurity -- all the things that are going to differentiate their service to you as a subscriber."

Next, we ask Heynen to address service provider Wi-Fi 6 technology dominance, and burgeoning 6E uptake vs. Wi-Fi 7 technology emergence (07:52). "We're just now starting to see the 6E gateways, specifically from cable operators, hit the market, and being made available to select subscribers as an option," he notes. "There's still a way to go. Wi-Fi 6 is now the dominant technology in terms of gateways and routers that are sold by service providers or leased by [them], as well as retail units purchased by consumers. 6E still has a bit of time to ramp; the challenge of course, is we just had CES a couple of weeks ago, and all the buzz was around Wi-Fi 7."

When asked for his fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband technology market predictions (10:24), Heynen remarks, "I think again this year is going to be a tale (at least in markets outside of China) of two technologies. GPON still is providing kind of the foundation for most FTTH deployments, but we're seeing an increasing deployment of XGS-PON for multi-gigabit services to subscribers, and that's the way things are going to look for the rest of the year. We'll probably get to the first half the year and GPON will still largely be the dominant CPE technology of choice. And then by the second half of the year, in some markets, particularly in North America, we'll likely see XGS-PON ONT's sort of take over."

Meanwhile, with a new Congress in place this year, and some members calling for increased oversight of broadband funding programs, when asked for perspective (11:35) on this issue, Heynen asserts, "I'm not sure that the changes in the makeup of the House are going to have an impact on the programs that are already out there. By nature, government programs are going to take a long time anyway [...] The delays that we've seen historically in these massive subsidization programs like CAF, CAF2, even going back to BIP and BITOP in the broadband stimulus days of '08 and '09 -- some of those funding mechanisms haven't even wrapped up yet. We're already starting to see some arguments around the BEAD program and whether unlicensed fixed wireless should be included or not. There's a lot of heavy lobbying on both sides by the Fiber Broadband Association and WISPA -- logically. "

Speculatively, the talk then turns (13:11) to how, if the goal of all such funding programs is to make broadband access ubiquitous, what might happen to the broadband market in the event this goal is achieved? Heynen is realistic in responding, "At least in the North American market, we're still many years away from actually achieving that goal of truly bridging the digital divide. And that's not just a question of availability, it's also going to be a question of affordability."

To wrap up the interview, we note how Heynen's blog states that subscriber growth slowing, which will bring ONT growth down to flat or single-digit growth. Given that growth will slow overall for the broadband market, we asked Heynen if he believes the industry will see reduced growth “across the board,” or if certain segments—such ONTs— might dip more than others? 

In his detailed response (15:04), Heynen begins, "There are a couple of answers to your question. The first is that new housing starts and movement, people from moving from one state to another, to different locations, that typically drives additional broadband subscriptions. At least through 2022, we've still seen that movement -- but the new housing starts, because of interest rate increases, have certainly slowed."

Allbridge CIO Matt Koch on ICT Connectivity, Proptech Convergence, Pt.2

For the latest episode of The Cabling Podcast, Cabling Installation & Maintenance sat down for a 2-part talk with Matt Koch, chief information officer for Allbridge, a provider of an integrated property technology, i.e. proptech, platform for smart buildings that integrates functions for design and planning, engineering, installation, and managed services and support. Building industry segments served by Allbridge’s proptech platform and services include hospitality, mixed-use, multifamily and senior living.

With a background as an ISP systems engineer and network admin designing and building guest internet solutions for hotels, Koch was also previously a system administrator for Geneva OnLine, a regional ISP specializing in wireless broadband internet access, and he worked as a system and network administrator consultant in the Silicon Valley for various companies, including Sun Microsystems and Uptilt. “I started my career climbing towers and running cable,” he notes, allowing CI&M to get the benefit of his perspective both as an ICT deployment executive, as well as someone who has worked in the installation field.

Part 2 of the interview (00:10) dives into a discussion of the most cutting-edge IoT trends for buildings, with consideration given to smart cabling and connectivity design. Koch alights on (00:54) the post-pandemic movement toward hybrid working spaces and scalable lighting and other smart building integration ideas driven by Power over Ethernet technology (01:30). CI&M senior editor Matt Vincent at this juncture takes the opportunity to obtain Koch's perspective on the status of Single-Pair Ethernet (SPE) technologies (2:32) in buildings emerging in co-existence, or perhaps competion, with retrofit solutions. 

Koch remarks:

"What has been interesting for us are some of the adaptations to switch SFPs with coax cable. Now there are switch SFPs that you can hook a standard, F- barrel connector onto, and if you have end to end connectivity, suddenly you've got Ethernet over, frankly a cabling plant that you've probably abandoned or are no longer worried about (you know, with the move to IPTV and so on). People are finding new ways to repurpose old coax in some cases."  

CI&M then inquires (03:39) about how, as applications advance and end-user expectations evolve, what some tips might be for planning scalable proptech deployments, the better to foster optimal future customer experiences. Koch says (04:06) the key is to vitally understand particular end-user requirements, while retaining "a wide view of the market," adding that Allbridge "has the advantage of being in many different markets," while noting that he expects deployments to senior living and senior active communities to be a gathering trend.

Talk then turns to smart building standards (05:27), and how a proptech integration firm such as Allbridge parses them (06:24). In his response, Koch observes:

"I think the key driver in smart buildings, certainly there are the bells and whistles, the livability. But when it comes to the things that will be implemented first, they will be generally around sustainability and energy management. Those sorts of applications will drive investor value. Owner-investors love the value of the asset that they have increasing when they deploy a smart building technology like energy-management thermostats, for instance. The USGBC put out a study last year, and the investment side was the number one trigger for smart buildings for investors and owners. But, I found it interesting, the number one trigger for architects and the engineers and integrators was that user experience, the customer demand and livability."

CI&M then (7:51) asks some particular questions about the proliferation of wireless technologies in smart buildings, about which Koch observes there's been "an interesting evolution." He adds, "It was a Wild West of wireless protocols 5 to 8 years ago, but now we're definitely seeing an uptick in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies." Due consideration (08:50) is then given to the ongoing viability of Wi-Fi solutions and the reasons for this. Koch also recounts the benefits (09:12) of  potential CBRS and private LTE implementations for building communications, on which he says Allbridge is "keeping a keen eye."

The interview winds up (10:15) with Koch's comments on what CI&M characterizes, from recent industry new observation, as the tendency for the commercial intelligent buildings and residential smart homes markets to intersect.

Allbridge CIO Matt Koch on ICT Connectivity, Proptech Convergence, Pt. 1

For the latest episode of The Cabling Podcast, Cabling Installation & Maintenance sat down for a 2-part talk with Matt Koch, chief information officer for Allbridge, a provider of an integrated property technology, i.e. proptech, platform for smart buildings that integrates functions for design and planning, engineering, installation, and managed services and support. Building industry segments served by Allbridge’s proptech platform and services include hospitality, mixed-use, multifamily and senior living.

With a background as an ISP systems engineer and network admin designing and building guest internet solutions for hotels, Koch was also previously a system administrator for Geneva OnLine, a regional ISP specializing in wireless broadband internet access, and worked as a system and network administrator consultant in Silicon Valley for various companies, including Sun Microsystems and Uptilt. “I started my career climbing towers and running cable,” he notes, allowing CI&M to get the benefit of his perspective both as an ICT deployment executive, as well as someone who has worked in the installation field.

In Part 1 of the interview, CI&M senior editor Matt Vincent starts by asking Koch (1:36) about 2023 prospects regarding what core connectivity elements Allbridge’s ICT system integrators and project managers are considering in terms of Ethernet, fiber-optic, wireless LAN and broadband networking options, and also power, in order to achieve a "full connectivity" smart property. Koch admits that while most of the growth in connectivity he’s seen lately has been in fiber-optics, it’s important for integrators and stakeholders to hold a “well-rounded” perspective, and that he’s feeling some hope for “still young” CBRS and private LTE wireless technologies in the field. 

The discussion then turns to the federal funding and service provider outlook (3:33) and considerations for deploying fiber broadband infrastructure in buildings. “For us, being an ISP is not a core focus,” says Koch. “We really are about integrating, supporting, planning the technology, so it's important that we are well-paired with those last-mile providers.” CI&M then inquires (4:36) about the depth and particulars of Allbridge’s process for converging IT and OT elements of building operation. “As a proptech provider, I like to say we focus on anything that takes power on-property,” says Koch. “And as these technologies become more interconnected, as the building becomes a ‘smart building’, the network at its core become a utility; we refer to it as the Fourth Utility. In terms of ‘when’ in the process, the earlier that we can be involved, the more helpful we can be,” Koch adds (5:22). 

The discussion moves onto the specifics (6:07) of Allbridge’s cabling and connectivity deployment practice. “We find it very important to be vertically integrated,” says Koch. “It helps in revisions and any designs in access point layout, camera placement – all those things are considered carefully.” Part 1 of the interview concludes by probing the topic of sustainability (7:25), in terms of benefits and challenges for building owners and designers.

Kam Patel, CommScope, Part 2: No data center slowdown; Data center fiber reach

In this 2-part episode of the Cabling Podcast, Cabling Installation & Maintenance senior editor Matt Vincent chats with Kam Patel, director of hyperscale and service provider data center solutions for CommScope. Patel has been with CommScope for more than 20 years in a variety of business development, engineering, marketing, operations, product management and strategy roles, and is the author of numerous articles, white papers, and presentations on the design of telecommunications and data networks. He holds more than 20 patents for network equipment.

Part 2 of the podcast kicks off with the following question for Patel from CI&M:

"The world is arriving at what we might call a post-pandemic reality. Every week we hear about technology companies that overstaffed and are now scaling back their workforces as they figure out what their right size is. And even though this is happening in places, we don’t get a sense that the flow of information—through entertainment, commerce, gaming, or business communication—is letting up. So while we hear about a big-tech slowdown, I’m betting there’s no slowing down within the data centers of large-scale tech providers. Is that a correct assessment?"

In response, Patel expands upon how A.I. is driving the expansion of data centers on several fronts, along with other factors that he said should keep the data center deployment market moving. 

CI&M also inquires if and how Industry 4.0 is expected to accelerate design cycles, and how the technology will be used to transform businesses.

Another question from CI&M posed to Patel in Part Two is as follows:

"People may not intuitively connect the United States’ rural broadband access initiatives to data centers. But CI&M believes data centers will play an essential role in rural connectivity over the next several years. Can you paint a picture for us of how data centers fit into the country’s ambitious plans to provide broadband to so many of its homes?" 

In response to this and other questions, Part Two concludes with a discussion about factors driving the need for increased fiber density in the data center, and what user types—hyperscales, telcos, or others—are most likely to need such high-density connections. 

Kam Patel, CommScope, Part 1: Industry 4.0 and AI frontiers; SPE, 5G edge discussion

In this 2-part episode of the Cabling Podcast, Cabling Installation & Maintenance senior editor Matt Vincent chats with Kam Patel, director of hyperscale and service provider data center solutions for CommScope. Patel has been with CommScope for more than 20 years in a variety of business development, engineering, marketing, operations, product management and strategy roles, and is the author of numerous articles, white papers, and presentations on the design of telecommunications and data networks. He holds more than 20 patents for network equipment.

Part 1 of the podcast begins by referencing Patel and CommScope's technology-inclusive vision for Industry 4.0 as laid out in a recent blog, where Patel writes: 

"Whereas the three preceding industry disruptions focused on making the production process faster and more efficient, the fourth Industrial Revolution is about connecting people, information and processes. As such, it has the potential to radically alter not just the business of manufacturing, but how enterprises of all kinds operate....Whereas the third Industrial Revolution was defined by widespread digitalization (the rise of computers, process logic controllers, etc.), the fourth Industrial Revolution is all about fusing digital, physical and virtual resources to create intelligent processes that think, do and respond faster and more accurately than humans alone can. The fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It’s a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, IoT, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other technologies."

In the podcast, CI&M asks Patel to address how this thesis expands the outlook for ICT technicians on the ground integrating Industry 4.0 and A.I. systems technologies in plant manufacturing, and also now into commercial enterprises and smart building sites. In response, Patel emphasizes how, "With Industry 4.0, if we combine all the things that we're talking about such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, quantum computing, etc. -- it allows machines to be able to talk to machines." He continued, "Machines talking and A.I., all such things are highly latency dependent. Communications between machines and robotics are highly latency driven."

Later in Part One, Patel discusses what cloud computing does to "enable industry 4.0 in a more meaningful way," and addresses the apportioning of wired technologies such as Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) vs. wireless technolgies such as 5G in Industry 4.0 deployments. "5G has come around, and that's certainly a low latency application," notes Patel, while adding that, "One 5G application is for cell phones [and] it's not the best application. What 5G was really designed for was capacity and latency."

CableLabs’ VP of Wired Technologies, Curtis Knittle - Part 2

This month's Cabling Podcast brings you an in-depth, 2-part interview with Dr. Curtis Knittle, Vice President of Wired Technologies at CableLabs.

As VP of Wired Technologies at CableLabs, the non-profit research and development lab funded by the global cable industry, Knittle and his team are responsible for specifying scalable deployment solutions in both hybrid fiber-coax and all-fiber access networks for CableLabs’ member companies. DOCSIS technologies, Distributed CCAP Architectures, Point-to-Point Coherent Optics, and Coherent Passive Optical Networking are a few current high-priority projects under his leadership. Knittle holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico, and a Master's and Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University.

On the mike conducting a sit-down interview on behalf of sibling Endeavor Business Media publication Broadband Technology Report (BTR), in Part 2 of the discussion senior editor Matt Vincent inquires about CableLabs standards and specifications. Ensuring interoperability and developing standards is paramount so that hardware and software produced by different vendors will work together and networks can easily share information. Knittle comments on how CableLabs and its subsidiary, SCTE, have submitted several specifications that are now published as international standards. These advancements free vendors to innovate on the modules placed into fiber nodes, support the rollout of DOCSIS 4.0 technology and cement it as an international standard. 

In keeping with "spec talk," Knittle next is asked to describe and recap the finer points of the recent Point-to-Point Coherent Optics (P2PCO) validation, where CableLabs confirmed the interoperability and performance of its P2PCO PHYv2.0 specification, which supports the speed and higher capacity infrastructure necessary to deliver 10G.

Finally, Knittle describes the industry response to CableLabs' 10G Challenge and 5G Challenge events last year. For the 10G Challenge, CableLabs, on behalf of the cable industry, organized and executed a first-of-its-kind technology competition aimed to encourage innovators to develop applications that work on the near-future 10G network. The winning technologies focused on utilizing the improved speed, security, reliability and low latency of the 10G network to enhance how we live, work, learn and play. The six winning ideas illustrated substantial real-world use cases for the technology. 

Meanwhile in 2022, CableLabs also served as the host laboratory for the 5G Challenge, presented by NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences in collaboration with the Department of Defense. To close out the interview, Knittle addresses how CableLabs provided the standalone 5G network on its 10G lab platform and engineering capability to integrate multiple 5G O-RAN vendors focusing on conformance, interoperability and performance metrics on-site.

CableLabs’ VP of Wired Technologies, Curtis Knittle - Part 1

This month's Cabling Podcast brings you an in-depth, 2-part interview with Dr. Curtis Knittle, Vice President of Wired Technologies at CableLabs.

As VP of Wired Technologies at CableLabs, the non-profit research and development lab funded by the global cable industry, Knittle and his team are responsible for specifying scalable deployment solutions in both hybrid fiber-coax and all-fiber access networks for CableLabs’ member companies. DOCSIS technologies, Distributed CCAP Architectures, Point-to-Point Coherent Optics, and Coherent Passive Optical Networking are a few current high-priority projects under his leadership. Knittle holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico, and a Master's and Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University.

On the mike conducting a sit-down interview on behalf of sibling Endeavor Business Media publication Broadband Technology Report (BTR), in Part 1 of the discussion senior editor Matt Vincent inquires about industry feedback from last year's CableLabs 10G Showcase and Convergence Proof-of-Concept demonstrations, and wonders what further demonstrations might be on deck in 2023. 

The CableLabs 10G Showcase highlighted the capability of DOCSIS 4.0 technology to support 9 Gbps downstream capacity and 6 Gbps upstream capacity, as demonstrated by multiple operators and supporting equipment providers at the showcase. For its Convergence Proof-of-Concept demonstration, at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2022, CableLabs demonstrated network-as-a-platform concepts and the power of a converged network running on virtualized infrastructure to improve scalability and reliability as part of the CableLabs 10G Lab initiative. This confirmed the ability to use the same application interface to temporarily increase a customer’s network speed, regardless of the type of network (e.g., DOCSIS technology, PON or wireless.) 

Next on the docket, Knittle addresses how last year CableLabs and its subsidiary, Kyrio, with support from Comcast, Apple and Google, organized a groundbreaking interoperability event to test and refine implementations and demonstrate Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput (L4S) technology applications. Questions from include: How did confirmation of successful interoperability lay the groundwork for the goal of a 10G-powered metaverse? And how much closer to this goal will we be in 2023? 

General Dynamics IT (GDIT) forms government 5G, edge technology coalition

The Cabling Podcast recently sat down with Rob Smallwood, vice president of digital modernization, and Shuaib Porjosh, director for advanced wireless, for General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), to learn more about GDIT's recently announced formation of a coalition with leading U.S. technology and telecommunications conglomerates.

Including the likes of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Dell Technologies, Splunk and T-Mobile, the GDIT coalition's mandate is to accelerate the adoption of 5G advanced wireless and edge technologies across government agencies.

During the interview, Smallwood and Porjosh describe GDIT's foundational Advanced Wireless Emerge Lab and how it operates. We learn how the GDIT coalition is developing technology solutions that will support federal, state and local agencies' unique mission requirements from the enterprise to the edge in a wide variety of applications, including military, logistics and supply chain, healthcare, education and smart infrastructure.

In the podcast, CI&M probes the background of the GDIT coalition's development, and asks whether uniform adoption of 5G and edge technologies has been a challenge in government facilities, or whether the advancements in AI/sensor tech for buildings are such that a technology coalition such as GDIT is now required for federal customers.

CI&M also inquires to what degree the coalition could be involved in physical deployment, installation, maintenance, and monitoring of developed technology solutions, and what the roadmap will be for the rollout of technology solutions developed by the GDIT coalition.

Fiber Endface Cleaning Imperatives with MicroCare’s Liam Taylor

Liam Taylor is European business manager, fiber optics, at Microcare, LLC, global manufacturer of the Sticklers brand of specialist fiber-optic cleaning tools. A long-time participant in information and communications technology (ICT) industry, Taylor is a member of the IES/SC 86B Working Group 4. 

In the latest episode of the Cabling Podcast, Taylor recaps and expands upon the salient points of his recent article for Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine,  "Why fiber network cleaning is essential to colocation space success."

In the course of the discussion, Taylor and CI&M senior editor Matt Vincent also unpack the features and benefits of Sticklers' newly introduced "breakthrough" fiber-optic cleaning tool, the Pro360 Touchless Cleaner.

Designed to quickly and completely clean oils and dust across the entire endface of both male and female fiber-optic connector ends via a single push of a button, MicroCare contends that its Pro360 Touchless Cleaner stands to change the way fiber-optic technicians work, significantly improving fiber cleaning speed and effectiveness. 

"Regardless of where a connector is along the network, contamination always has been and always will be the number one threat to network performance," asserts MicroCare's Taylor. "It's also the cheapest and easiest to prevent."

CWA Fiber Training Apprenticeship Program: Yonah Camacho Diamond, CWA District 9

In this episode of the Cabling Podcast, CI&M senior editor Matt Vincent sits down with Yonah Camacho Diamond, Organizing Coordinator for Communications Workers of America District 9 (CWA District 9) in California to discuss the award of a $5.8 million grant to expand an apprenticeship training program for fiber technicians at the existing CWA training center in San Jose, and at three additional sites across the state. The new program designation for fiber splicing technicians is intended to support the state's federally funded fiber broadband rollout expansion, as part of the BEAD Program. The grant will offer an employer boot camp program as a recruiting tool, where prospective employers can experience the apprenticeship program. CWA is also pursuing funding to reimburse employers for apprentice wages and benefits, and is assisting with providing tools and PPE for program participants.