Now that many cable operators around the globe are also wireless network operators in some form or fashion, CableLabs has embarked on several projects and initiatives focused on network and service convergence.
Following the formation of two groups – The Convergence Council and the Mobile Convergence Committee – CableLabs is taking aim at multitenancy at the edge and the convergence of both hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) and 5G networks. The initial focus is on the melding of network stacks into a common, collocated platform.
"Because more than half of the CableLabs members are both mobile and cable system operators, we think this unique insight into operations of both network types will be a catalyst for driving convergence requirements," Carmela Stuart, director of the future infrastructure group at CableLabs, explained on the Light Reading podcast.
Much of that work is detailed in a new white paper (PDF): Best Practices for Deploying 5G into a Shared Environment. And while the initial focus involves 5G vendors, CableLabs expects to run a similar exercise with HFC component vendors, and particularly with suppliers of virtual CCAPs (converged cable access platforms), Stuart explained.
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