Cable operator Astound Broadband gave speeds on its network a boost this week, adding a new 1.2 Gbps service tier for customers across its territories. In an interview with Fierce, COO Chris Fenger said it could have brought the capability to market even sooner, but was hindered by limited availability of customer CPE required to support the faster speeds.
According to Fenger, Astound has long offered 1-gig speeds on its DOCSIS 3.1 network and thanks to the architecture of its network didn’t have to do much work to enable the additional bandwidth. He explained the operator over the years has implemented an aggressive campaign to reduce its number of homes per node to around 125, a figure he said is below the industry average.
“So, we did not have to do a whole lot to effectuate this upgrade. We had to do some, but it wasn’t network-wide or anything like that,” he said. “We also had to add some QAMs here and there in some areas based on existing capacity, but it wasn’t too strong a lift.”
But while the network was ready – and in fact capable of even faster speeds – Fenger noted “getting CPE has been a big challenge.” Specifically, he said it took about two extra months to get all the CPE it needed to go ahead with the launch. Fenger added the operator is hoping the supply situation will change as it pursues the rollout of even faster speeds.
Fellow operator Consolidated Communications previously said it encountered CPE supply issues which delayed the rollout of its Fidium Fiber product in the back half of last year.
Fenger said Astound is “paying very close attention” to developments around DOCSIS 4.0, but as of yet hasn’t decided which of the two flavors of the technology – full duplex or extended spectrum – to pursue.
Once it does, “it’s a matter of CPE and just planning. We’re looking at speed increases down the road. I can’t tell you a timeframe but it’s top of mind for us.”
In terms of consumer demand for faster speeds, Fenger said it’s seen very strong sell-in and penetration of its 1-gig product. It’s upgrading speeds at least in part to help stay ahead of bandwidth demands as more devices – like smart speakers, doorbells and thermostats – are attached to the home network.
Astound’s 1.2-gig offer provides uplink speeds of 50 Mbps. While fiber players have been pushing the need for symmetrical speeds, Fenger said customers aren’t really demanding them. So the operator is proceeding accordingly.
“We want to make sure they’re robust, strong and capable, but the demand is more on the download side than on the upload side,” he concluded. “It’s not a driving force by any means.”