The era of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) internet has moved one step closer to reality, with Comcast announcing that it has successfully tested record download and upload speeds.

Through a demonstration that was performed via a 10G connection on a live network, the company said it was able to hit download speeds faster than 8Gbps, while upload speeds reached a level exceeding 5Gbps.

Comcast and other broadband providers are utilizing 10G technology in their quest to deliver “multigigabit symmetrical speeds” to the consumer market.

It says it can accomplish this without changing existing infrastructure by tapping into connections “already installed in tens of millions of homes and businesses worldwide.”

In addition to the aforementioned speeds, 10G technology will also bring improvement in several areas, namely latency, security, and reliability.

The previous Comcast milestone was achieved in January 2022 when it managed to attain download and upload speeds faster than 4Gbps. A two-fold increase, at least for download speeds, that has come to fruition just a few months later is encouraging news for 10GB internet finding its way into homes en masse.

Comcast also said that it showcased 10G node technology at an industry event, which it stated will assist the company in powering its deployments. Furthermore, the company displayed how its network virtualization technology will “seamlessly orchestrate mixed fiber and 10G deployments.”

As for the demo itself, Comcast connected a 10G-enabled Virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (vCMTS) via 80 kilometers of fiber to the site where it carried out the test.

The fiber itself “terminated into a production switch,” which connected to what Comcast believes to be the world’s first fully functional 10G-enabled Full Duplex DOCSIS 4.0 node, as well as a 10G prototype modem.

In what is being touted as the first successful demonstration in a production-ready network environment, Comcast said the test exhibited how live 10G deployments will function, which is made possible through Comcast’s widely available Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) technology.

Multi-gigabit internet speeds may become the norm

Multi-gigabit internet connections are available in certain regions, but these are generally quite expensive and are typically used by businesses as opposed to regular broadband users. However, with Comcast’s continued efforts over the past year in bringing 10Gb internet to the consumer market, the technology seems set to become more commonplace than ever before.

This state of affairs was mentioned specifically by Elad Nafshi, Comcast’s head network officer. “These 10G technologies represent the fastest, most efficient path to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds at scale everywhere, not just in select neighborhoods or towns,” he said. “The pace of 10G innovation is only accelerating, and Internet users around the world will reap the benefits.”

Alongside blistering fast internet speeds, Comcast detailed how its DAA network virtualization technology will offer “greater reliability and adaptability” that will provide the foundation for several next-generation network architectures. In regard to the DAA demo, two important elements were shown:

• “The demo showed how a single DAA-enabled vCMTS can seamlessly and simultaneously operate both 10G connections and PON (passive optical network) connections and deliver multi-gig services with identical levels of visibility and orchestration. While Comcast is primarily focused on 10G, the ability to easily blend 10G and PON provides enormous flexibility to support the widest range of geographies and customer needs.”
• “The demo also showed how 10G and DAA will deliver greater reliability by leveraging the unprecedented visibility the technology provides into Internet performance at every level of the network from the core, all the way to individual customer gateways.”

Comcast is not the only company that is actively developing technology aimed at supplying 10Gbps internet. Vecima Networks and Charter Communications managed to reach download and upload speeds faster than 8.5Gbps and 6Gbps respectively. Similar to Comcast’s test, these speeds were also achieved via a next-generation DOCSIS 4.0 system-on-a-chip.

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