As MSOs accelerate implementation of DOCSIS 3.0 in their networks they are coming to recognize there’s a growing need to exploit the benefits of bonded channel technology in the return as well as the forward path.
This is a complex undertaking. In contrast to the experience MSOs have accumulated with the relatively straight-forward downstream bonding procedures of DOCSIS 3.0, bonding on the return raises all the challenges associated with maximizing bandwidth efficiency in the noise-encumbered lower reaches of the RF spectrum.
This means operators must carefully analyze their end-to-end return path dynamics across multiple parameters to determine their capacity potential so as to ensure that when they do bond the upstream channels they haven’t left themselves short of optimal results.
This requires a comprehensive, in-depth approach to node characterization that goes well beyond the norms of traditional node performance analysis.