[April 09, 2012]

More Cable Operators Deploying Digital Return as the Ultimate Solution to Future-Proof Networks

Aurora Networks, Inc., the No. 1 optical transport solutions provider for cable operators, unveils research that clearly shows how digital return technology is visibly becoming cable operators' solution of choice to meet the increasing upstream demands for today and tomorrow. Based on collected industry data, the company predicts that by 2014, the annual deployment of digital return technology will surpass analog.

Driven by today's increased need for high-speed data rates, and the inherent need for higher quality and performance, digital return has become widely adopted in the industry as the way forward. Cable operators who are already deploying it have been able to take advantage of the many features of DOCSIS^® 3.0 technology with no further upstream network investment. Implementation of upstream channel bonding can be achieved quickly and easily to address subscriber demand for higher upstream speeds. This is not necessarily true in cable networks that have extensively deployed analog return solutions. Even with analog solutions that do meet today's upstream requirements, there will be challenges to meet future needs, such as expansion from 42 MHz to 85 MHz with 1024-QAM loading while achieving the required distances.

Aurora Networks' digital return technology was developed to provide a solid foundation for cable operators' upstream plan to support future service demands. The solution has the advantage of supporting today's 64-QAM upstream channels as well as future rollouts of 256-QAM or even 1024-QAM, over extended reaches far exceeding the capabilities of analog transmitters. With the release of its award-winning fourth generation Universal Digital Return Platform, digital return is truly future-proof, with support for an increased return, 5 to 85 MHz (and even higher), and with 1024-QAM, achieving throughput up to 600 Mbps per node segment; 2.4 Gbps with a four segment node.

The study is based on conservative projections; the perception has sometimes been that digital return is more expensive than analog. This is no longer true and we expect that the adoption of digital return will be accelerated beyond that presented here. Recent generations of digital return have driven the cost of the link down. With a single return digital link now on par with an analog link, and a dual return (for a segmented node) much cheaper than analog, digital return is now a very cost-effective solution. It's a "set-it and forget-it" platform, resulting in low, on-going operating costs. Choosing digital return is now an even easier decision.

What Aurora Networks Says

"Digital return was developed to be the highest performance, most cost-effective upstream solution for operators, addressing the shortcomings of analog return transmission and providing a future-proof solution," said John Dahlquist, vice president of marketing, Aurora Networks. "Digital return brings performance and operational savings, as well as a scalable fiber-efficient solution. It's gratifying to see that digital return technology, the only upstream solution ever embraced by Aurora, is fast becoming the predominant upstream technology."

About Aurora Networks

Aurora Networks, the No. 1 optical transport solutions provider for cable operators, is evolving cable by focusing on innovative solutions that build future-proof networks to accommodate the cable subscriber services of today and tomorrow. Aurora Networks is the only pure-play optical transport solution provider that is focused solely on cable operators. Using its proven understanding of cable networks, Aurora Networks delivers unique solutions - such as its Fiber Deep architecture and digital return technology - to address specific issues of the cable industry. A technology leader driven by innovation and industry-firsts, Aurora Networks enables leading cable operators across the globe to compete with a cost-effective, optimized launch pad for next-generation cable services. To learn more about Aurora Networks' core cable solutions, please call 408-235-7000 or visit www.aurora.com.

Aurora Networks and the Aurora Networks logo are registered trademarks of Aurora Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. DOCSIS is a mark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Other marks are the property of their respective owners and are used here only for identification purposes.

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