SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2022, hosted by the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), a CableLabs subsidiary, returned last week to Philadelphia where, as noted by the event's organizers, "in a year where industry tradeshows are struggling to return to pre-pandemic audience sizes reporting only approximately 65% on average, last week’s attendance surpassed the last in-person show, when Cable-Tec Expo was hosted in New Orleans in 2019. "
Technologists, service providers and innovators from all facets of the cable telecommunications and media industries descended upon the Pennsylvania Convention Center from September 19 through 22, focused on the expo's theme of “Creating Infinite Possibilities.”
SCTE noted in a press release that plans are underway for Cable-Tec Expo 2023, when the cable broadband industry's flaghship event returns to Denver, Colorado from October 16-19, 2023, and will be chaired by Charter Communications and Rogers Communications.
Mark Dzuban, president and CEO of SCTE, commented:
"This year’s Expo represented everything we were hoping for as we celebrated our triumphant return to an in-person event in Philadelphia. There is infinite potential for creativity and growth that can be unleashed, and we are already looking forward to bringing our global cable and technology communities together again, as we plan next year's Expo."
The Expo 2022 co-chairs were equally enthusiastic about the turnout, collaboration and content at the event.
“It was outstanding to be back in person at Expo, learning and collaborating alongside thousands of our colleagues from across the globe. From the keynotes and panels to the show floor, Expo showcased the innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial leadership of our industry,” said event co-chair David Watson, president and CEO, Comcast Cable.
“It was wonderful to see the industry’s global community converge at the show and see the growth in the technical content contributed from international leaders and innovators,” added event co-chair Michael Fries, CEO, Liberty Global.
Cable-Tec Expo week highlights
Expo week began with Comcast Cable announcing its plans to double its network energy efficiency by 2030, cutting the electricity per consumed terabyte of data in half. To underscore the company’s commitment to the environment, Comcast purchased and gifted renewable energy certificates to power SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2022 with 100% clean energy.
Comcast followed up the announcement by re-porting its successful completion of the world-first 10G amplifier test, which achieved symmetrical speeds faster than 4 Gigs. The operator noted that the technology paves the way to deploy 10G to tens of millions of customers, over the connections already installed in their homes.
"To continue the industry’s commitment to 10G, the alignment of investments, innovation, and execution is critical," pointed out Phil McKinney, president and CEO of CableLabs. "By combining forces and uniting the cable industry’s two largest membership organizations, we contribute to the industry’s success while supporting the accelerated pace of change.”
The event's standing-room-only Opening General Session provided a glimpse of the state of the industry and the technologies moving it forward. McKinney sat down for a fireside chat with Expo co-chairs David Watson and Michael Fries to explore a vision of the future and how connected technology and networking capa-bilities are being used to create meaningful, impactful, and immersive experiences.
Next, Charlie Herrin, president of Technology, Product and Experience (TPX) at Comcast Cable, presented a keynote entitle, “Meeting the Moment for Customers with the Power of Platforms,” a vision of how platforms continue to evolve customer experiences across the globe.
Closing out the OGS was a powerful panel of technology leaders who explored of the future of broadband, moderated by Tony Werner, senior technology advisor at Comcast Cable, and featuring Len Barlik, EVP and CTO at Cox Communications; Enrique Rodriguez, EVP and CTO of Liberty Global; and Justin Colwell, EVP of connectivity technology at Charter Communications.
Following two years of successful virtual events, SCTE presented a robust in-person program at Expo 2022 including more than 125 peer-reviewed technical papers sorted into 57 powerful sessions during the annual Fall Technical Forum presented by CableLabs, NCTA and SCTE.
In addition, Expo featured 12 internationally sourced sessions, the L&D Experience, new SIMS demonstrations, and FIRST Robotics Showcase highlighting the next generation of engineers, as local high school robotics teams battled their full-sized robots on a full regulation-sized competition floor.
The exhibit hall showcased more than 250 vendors providing essential knowledge on their technologies, products and services plus interop proof-of-concepts, technical workshops, trainings, and hands-on dis-plays. Attendees enjoyed three days of special presentations in the Innovation Theater and had the op-portunity to collaborate with key industry groups including ACA Connects, ANGA COM, The Cable Center, CTAM, NCTC, and The WICT Network. Industry colleagues connected during lectures, fireside chats, breakfasts, receptions and other special events.
CableLabs announced the six winners of The 10G Challenge, a unique competition launched at last year’s Cable-Tec Expo to inspire innovators to leverage the emerging 10G broadband network. The winners focused on how the 10G network enables technologies that impact the way we live, work, learn and play.
"Cable-Tec Expo was once again able to attract several thousand attendees and hundreds of exhibitors from across the globe,” concluded Dzuban. “We’re back! And our industry is excitedly preparing to do it again next year in Denver. This show is critical to aligning the industry and building up the ecosystem to keep the industry strong and competitive."