The Rapidly Shrinking Distance Between Cable and Fiber Service Providers
Homeowners and businesses think there are a lot of differences between cable companies and fiber providers, but the truth from a technology standpoint is that the two have a lot in common. The differences are continually shrinking and will be very few in the future.
A fiber service provider delivers broadband end-to-end using fiber optic cable. It’s a very clean setup, extremely power-efficient compared to any legacy technology, and very simple to upgrade. Across the world, the de facto deployment is 10 Gbps XGS-PON, but Asia and other areas of the world—including U.S. providers—are pushing the envelope to 25G and 50G PON, with a clear path to reach 100G PON
Cable plant is typically described as HFC, hybrid fiber/coax. Every year more fiber is rolled into cable providers for several reasons. In competitive markets with established fiber carriers, operators are deploying end-to-end fiber to replace legacy network plant. For greenfield deployments and expansion of existing ones, fiber is the go-to medium because it’s more reliable, power efficient, and future-proof than coax. Meanwhile, legacy providers are pushing fiber deeper into the network to support higher end-customer speeds up to 10 Gbps through DOCSIS® 3.1 and 4.0. Most cable providers also deliver business services exclusively through end-to-end fiber due to requirements for symmetrical bandwidth and low latency.
It is safe to say that for all cable providers, fiber is the future …and for most cable providers the future is today. Fiber Broadband Association members such as Altice are deploying fiber in their networks to improve reliability, provide better network flexibility, and deliver true symmetrical multi-gig speeds.
The cable industry has long recognized the importance of fiber, with CableLabs aligning the industry’s portfolio of standards with XGS-PON interoperability through Plugfests and publications, conducting ongoing research for new and affordable ways to deploy high-speed fiber, and educating cable providers on how to integrate DOCSIS and PON together.
I deeply respect the cable industry’s ongoing efforts to integrate PON and fiber alongside its legacy DOCSIS and coaxial infrastructure. In my view, the long-term trajectory points toward an all-fiber future—one that enables simplification across the network and positions operators to realize greater operational efficiencies and scalability to 100G and beyond. The FBA’s Sustainability Working Group determined in their 2024 white paper, FBA-059_Sustainability_WhitePaper_FIN.pdf, that an all fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network had a network operational carbon footprint up to 96% less than a legacy HFC DOCSIS system. That’s a green win both in terms of the environment and on the corporate bottom line through lower energy usage and fewer truck rolls through increased reliability and easier upgrades to faster speeds.
The only areas of difference between cable and fiber providers are customer experience and content. Cable excels at improving average revenue per user (ARPU) by bundling voice, data, video, and phone, a lesson that fiber operators would like to learn. Wall Street once said the first with fiber wins the broadband subscriber. Today, it also says the first with fiber wins the mobile wireless subscriber.
Given the recent passage of the Trump Administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” cable operators will be able to leverage the reinstatement of 100% bonus depreciation to free up capital and have incentives to invest in upgrading their networks to fiber. Under the new tax laws, there has never been a better time for the cable industry to stop net subscriber losses and even the playing field by upgrading their legacy networks to fiber.
To cable companies wanting to learn more about fiber construction, fiber technology, and the fiber broadband ecosystem, the FBA offers numerous opportunities for engagement through our regional Fiber Connect events around the country, the national Fiber Connect conference, and through our subcommittees and working groups. Please feel free to learn more at the FBA’s website at www.fiberbroadband.org.
Gary Bolton,
President and CEO,
Fiber Broadband Association
Gary Bolton serves as president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association—the largest trade association dedicated to all-fiber-optic broadband. Prior to FBA, Gary held executive management positions at two successful venture-backed high-tech start-ups as well as at large publicly traded companies in marketing, product line management and public policy. Gary is also currently an adjunct professor in business administration and management science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and he holds an MBA from Duke University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Learn more at
fiberbroadband.org
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