DOCSIS is the defacto industry standard for cable internet to the home. In this letter, we examine the delay characteristics of commercially deployed DOCSIS networks. We focus on four mechanisms of the DOCSIS MAC operation and develop a computationally simple simulator to reproduce the phenomena produced by these mechanisms. In reproducing these phenomena using our simulator, we demonstrate that the simulator properly encapsulates the core mechanisms of DOCSIS and effectively simulates the delay of packets.

This paper provides insights on the status of broadband optical access market and technologies in Europe and on the expected trends for the next generation optical access networks. The final target for most operators, cities or any other player is of course FTTH (Fibre To The Home) deployment although we can expect intermediate steps with copper or wireless technologies. Among the two candidate architectures for FTTH, PON (Passive Optical Network) is by far the most attractive and cost effective solution. We also demonstrate that Ethernet based optical access network is very adequate to all-IP networks without any incidence on the level of quality of service. Finally, we provide feedback from a FTTH pilot network in Colmar (France) based on Gigabit Ethernet PON technology. The interest of this pilot lies on the level of functionality required for broadband optical access networks but also on the development of new home network configurations.

As a result of increasing demand and regulatory changes, access systems are undergoing significant expansion. Although wireless and copper-based systems are being deployed, fiber access systems provide the best conduit for broadband services. Significant deployment and trials of Hybrid Fiber-Coax (HFC) and Switched Digital Video (SDV) systems are underway, and additional architectures are being considered for future upgraded networks. We review the progress in this field, and indicate where enabling device technologies can provide key functions.