Innovation Insights at Fall Technical Forum
By Chris Bastian
For attendees interested in staying ahead of the curve, learning about the latest advancements, and best practices in the industry, plans are well underway for SCTE® Cable-Tec Expo® and we are kicking things up in an “EXPOnential” way to celebrate 40 years of Expo!
For starters, we had more than 330 abstracts submitted for the annual Fall Technical Forum, brought to you by SCTE, CableLabs® and NCTA. A total of 105 papers were selected by the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2023 Program Committee, chaired by Noel Dempsey, Senior Vice President of Field Operations at Charter Communications. The peer-reviewed papers, which cover the very latest technological advances and trends, will be presented in 35 packed sessions, organized into five super tracks this year:
- Wireline Networks: 10G and Beyond
- Operational and Network Transformation
- Security, Privacy, and Artificial Intelligence
- Construction and Workforce
- Residential Networks, Wireless, Mobility, and IoT
With so much ground-breaking content, it will be hard to decide which sessions to attend. Here is a sampling of sessions I’d consider plugging into:
As always, there will be ample Wireline sessions to attend. Highlights will include “Advancing Cable Networks for Enhanced Performance and Low Latency Services” on Wednesday, October 18 at 11:00 a.m. On the race to 10G, hear about innovative approaches and technological breakthroughs to increase capacity and reduce latency in our networks. Moderated by Comcast’s Dan Rice, CableLabs’ Karthik Sundaresan explores the seamless transition between DOCSIS® versions and Casa Systems’ Hongbiao Zhang addresses the increasing demand for low latency in cable networks, particularly for cloud-based services and over-the-top (OTT) applications. Charter’s Omar Alami provides an insightful analysis of Charter’s field trial—a low-latency virtual reality gaming service deployed on their edge computing premises.
Another Wednesday session to consider, “Level Up Your PNM: New Ways to Score Performance” begins at 3:45 p.m. Moderated by Comcast’s Larry Wolcott, this session offers actionable guidance for leveling up your proactive network maintenance (PNM) measurement techniques and capabilities. SCTE’s Ron Hranac provides an understanding of and techniques for managing cable modem transmit headroom resiliency, and Comcast’s Mike O’Dell dives into the challenges posed by improperly aligned amplifiers and presents solutions for evaluating network performance at the active device level. Rogers’ Ray Stevens shares a comprehensive overview of their Overall DOCSIS Metric 3.0.
Another highlight on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. is “Intelligent Power: Using Cutting-Edge Technologies to Improve Battery Health and Energy Storage.” Moderator Jay Lee of ATX will lead the discussion on how technologies can support the seamless functioning of 10G networks and minimize connectivity interruptions for customers in the face of power outages and network demands. Alexander Falcon highlights a unique algorithm being developed at Comcast that predicts battery performance during controlled, partial discharge events, and Comcast’s Matthew Stehman illustrates the power of using historical power outage data with AI/ML frameworks to support the connectivity expectations of a 10G network. Toby Peck with EnerSys Energy Systems will discuss different energy storage technologies and their optimal applications, as well as methodologies for maximizing operational efficiency and meeting regulatory requirements.
On Thursday, October 19 at 8:00 a.m., you can start your day with “New Spectrum Horizons: Navigating the Future of Connectivity and Communication” moderated by Vecima’s Colin Howlett. Explore the cutting-edge advancements that allow us to harness the full power of the extended spectrum. Rogers’ Mike Darling presents different upgrade paths to consider, and Charter’s Gerald Auzenne focuses on the design challenges that operators are facing in building HFC networks with extended spectrum capabilities.
On Wednesday, October 18 beginning at 8:00 a.m., “Data Driven: Optimizing and Running HFC and Fiber Networks, End to End” is worth a look. James Medlock from Akleza Inc. will share insightful use cases developed by the PNM Working Group at CableLabs. Additionally, Comcast’s Matt Wichman will present groundbreaking insights on how real-time data analysis can elevate fiber network reliability, ensuring seamless connectivity for customers.
Stick around, because later Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. is “Know Before You Go: Everything You Need to Know About Moving to the Cloud,” moderated by Israel Madiedo of Izzi Telecom. Rogers’ Yassar Abbas provides a critical analysis of tested use cases and AWS’s Dr. Jennifer Andreoli-Fang presents an engaging look at control and user plane separation (CUPS). Additionally, Comcast’s Ajay Gavagal explores financial measurement and optimization strategies in cloud computing.
On Wednesday, October 18 at 11:00 a.m., “Keeping Everyone Safe: Operator Approaches to Protecting Its Network and Users” focuses on operator-specific approaches to social engineering, Wi-Fi security, and cybersecurity on connected devices. Moderated by Charter’s Mary Haynes, Cox’s Carol Ansley discusses the ongoing work of the IEEE 802.11 Enhanced Data Privacy Task Group, and Abdul Saleem with Comcast India Center LLC delves into the escalating threats arising from social engineering and provides actionable solutions and defensive techniques to manage these risks effectively. Charter’s Scott Dotto also gives a comprehensive overview of cybersecurity risks, and how to mitigate these risks to the customer and add safeguards to the Internet ecosystem.
Also Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., check out “AI/ML for Exceptional Experiences: Unlocking Efficiency and Satisfaction in Plant Operations and Customer Interactions.” This powerful session moderated by Charter’s Veronica Bloom brings together three novel approaches to intelligent plant operations and network automation. Telecom Argentina’s Claudio Righetti presents a cutting-edge machine learning model for predicting customer trouble calls in HFC networks. Comcast’s Bob Lutz presents an approach for combining node-level telemetry data and graph to help technicians resolve plant issues more efficiently and reduce mean time to repair. And Comcast’s Eric Frishman explores the power of unsupervised machine learning for the detection of real-time network service impairments.
You don’t want to miss the sessions focused on residential networks and the convergence required to enhance wireless, mobility, and the Internet of Things (IoT). You could consider starting your day on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. with “Wireless Architectures and Lessons Learned in Design and FWA Deployment.” Deep dive into wireless architectures with moderator Hani Beshara of Ericsson, learning about fixed wireless access-related deployments as well as Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) performance. Rogers’ Ahmed Jafri provides real-world knowledge gained from the deployment of fixed wireless access (FWA) across Canada using its 4G/5G Mobile Broadband network. Nokia’s Mikko Jarvela explores 5G radio technology, including increased capacity, optimization possibilities, and the ability to offer efficient FWA services. Additionally, CableLabs’ Mark Poletti provides cutting-edge insights about the current state of the Open RAN ecosystem.
Bright and early on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in a session moderated by Rogers’ Boris Culum, you can join Comcast’s David Urban for “Wi-Fi 7: The Fast and Furious of the Wireless Home,” as he looks toward the future delivery of multiple Gbps speeds, where DOCSIS 4.0 and Wi-Fi 7 come together as perfect complements to each other in service to the customer. CommScope’s Scott Voegele presents Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC), requiring connectivity to the cloud from the access point to authorize its use of a Wi-Fi 7 AP in 6 GHz. Gain understanding of the options available for standard power AFC-controlled architectures, the key decisions in the process and implementation flows, and the architecture improvements needed.
Don’t miss “Laying the Groundwork for a Connected Future: Modernizing Construction Practices” on Thursday, October 19 at 8:00 a.m. Comcast’s Jennifer Smardo moderates a panel providing valuable insights into the evolving construction landscape and future of broadband networks. Steven Lucente of NV5 Geospatial highlights the capabilities of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology in efficiently collecting and processing the required data for make-ready analysis before the design phase. Technetix’s Adam Soccorsy describes how innovative construction methodologies can lower the cost of connecting rural communities, and Cox’s Jordan Kupersmith shows how new and legacy node naming data can be better consolidated and recorded into a single source of truth by leveraging the power of AI.
This is only an appetizer of the compelling content available. Descriptions for all 35 sessions are available at expo.scte.org. I encourage you to download the Expo app when it becomes available prior to joining us in the Mile High City, so that you can plan out your activities before you arrive. Simply search the app store for “Cable Tec Expo”—should be available by October 2.
I can’t wait for you to join me and other industry leaders in Denver as we celebrate 40 years of Cable-Tec Expo!
Chris Bastian,
SVP/CTO, Engineering,
SCTE® a subsidiary of CableLabs®
Chris Bastian is Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Innovation Officer for the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE®), a subsidiary of CableLabs®. With three decades of leadership in advanced cable and network security technologies, Chris is responsible for all areas of technology and engineering to ensure that SCTE maintains a leadership role in standardizing and operationalizing advanced technology, including the SCTE Standards Program and the SCTE Engineering Committee – as well as groundbreaking efforts such as SCTE’s Energy 20/20 program.
Images provided by author
