In a blog post, Comcast EVP and CTO Tony Werner wrote, in part: "At a home in the Philadelphia area, we took the next important step forward in delivering gigabit speed broadband over our hybrid fiber coaxial network. The test used the standard cable connections that we have in homes across the country. All we needed was a new modem, a software upgrade to the device that serves that neighborhood, and a few good engineers."
Werner wrote that Comcast will expand the trials over the coming months to see how the service performs in different real-world environments, including additional locations in Pennsylvania, northern California and Atlanta. Werner also said the MSO plans to deploy by the end of next year.
"Before the end of 2016, we will begin offering a new gigabit speed choice that works over the existing connections in our customers' homes in several parts of the country," Werner said. "We still have a lot of work to do, but these tests confirm that DOCSIS 3.1 will work over our existing network as currently configured."
It's not entirely clear whether the announcement involves a new phase of testing or official confirmation of the MSO's DOCSIS 3.1 testing program that we've covered in the past - we're still trying to get confirmation. Previous testing involved signal generators and experimental CPE over the existing HFC network.
Update:
Jorge Salinger, Comcast's Vice President of Access Architecture, tells us, "Yes, this is live traffic in a live network, using D3.1 in both the home and the headend, which has never been done before."
