Broadband Challenges - FDIS

1
Broadband Challenges - FDIS 99

• Glenn T. Edens
• Vice President Broadband Technology
• edens_at_att.com

2
Overview 10 Broadband Challenges
Consumer Perspective
Offers
Delivery
Political Perspective
Multiple Vendors
Standards Retail
Backbone
Technical Perspective
Regional Hub
HFC Plant
Gateway
Home Network
Devices
3
Challenge 1 Offers

• Entertainment
• Watch television programming movies
• Listen to radio music
• Games the web
• Communications
• Talk on the phone, IM, BL, chat mail
• Forwarding, alerting, notification messaging
• Information
• Access the web, directories guides, study, work
  play
• Life maintenance, transactions, buying selling
  stuff

4
Challenge 1 Offers

• Video Audio
• Digital to provide EPG, more channels and highest
  quality picture and sound
• High Definition to provide the ultimate home
  theater
• Interactive to provide web access and
  transactions
• Voice (Local and Long Distance Telephony)
• Primary line, LEC replacement with more lines
  features
• High Speed Data
• Broadcast data embedded in television programming
• High speed internet access for PC, TV
  appliance-style devices (web pads, internet
  stereo, web phones, etc.)

5
Challenge 2 Sell, Install Provision

• Bundles of video, voice, data, LD cellular will
  provide significant consumer value
• Consumer, retailer, product vendor service
  provider converge in a process
• Learn marketing positioning
• Buy taking the order, verification scheduling
• Get installation, provisioning OOB experience
• Use training, utility, experience quality
• Pay establish value, meter, bill collect
• Support diagnose, repair, improve enhance

6
Challenge 2 Sell, Install Provision

• 101 Million U.S. households - 99 Million have TV
• 90 Million households passed by cable
• 66 Million cable customers
• Operating revenue of 27.8 Billion
• Average 36 per customer per month 24 Billion
• Other revenue (ad, home shopping, etc.) 3.8
  Billion
• 34 of the customers churn each year
• 1.87 M per month 22.4 M per year
• Employees
• Direct Employees 122,000
• Linked Employees 83,000
• Indirect Employees 674,000
• Total 879,000

Source CableLabs
7
Challenge 2 Sell, Install Provision

• 66,000 Truck Drivers (including supervisors)
• 35,000 Installers 8,800 Service Techs 13,200
  Line Techs 4,400 Headend Techs 4,600 Others
• 35,000 Customer Service Representatives
• Customer telephone calls per month
• Billing 21,450,000
• Sales 10,725,000
• Service 10,725,000
• Total 42,900,000 per month or 515 M per year
• 2 of customers experience problems each month
• 1.32 M per month 15.8 M per year
• Truck rolls, residential CPE and wiring
  installation is key limiting factor to deployment

Source CableLabs
8
Challenge 2 Sell, Install Provision
Travel
Type
Data
Video
Analog
Site Survey RF Check
New coax Splitter Drop
Telephony
Digital
Existing Coax
No
No
Existing Coax
New coax Splitter BTI, Drop UPS Provision
No
Single PC
Yes
External Modem
Yes
New coax New jack Splitter Drop
New STB Download SW Provision
New coax New jack Splitter
Remove Inter- diction devices
Yes
Yes
Existing LAN
Replace LEC
No
Internal Modem
No
LAN NIC(s)
Yes
No
Need STB
Re-home existing LEC TP
Install SW Configure Provision
Yes
New STB
Existing TP
Yes
Test
No
New TP New jack
Demo
Pack up
9
Challenge 2 Sell, Install Provision
10
Challenge 3 Backbone Networks
Seattle, WA
NDTC NCAC Denver, CO
HITS Satellite
San Francisco, CA
Salt Lake City, UT

• Backbone networks are well understood
• PSTN and Nationwide LD network
• Private IP networks and the Public Internet
• Headend In The Sky (HITS) Satellite Programming

11
Challenge 4 Regional Hubs Headends
60,000 - 100,000 Homes Passed
PSTN
Primary Hub
Internet
Local Hub
HITS
DWDM
Primary Hub
Master Hub
Over the air
Local Hub
Primary Ring
Local Origination
Local Hub
Primary Hub
10,000 - 20,000 Homes Passed
1,000,000 Homes Passed
DWDM Fiber rings provide reliability and capacity
12
Challenge 5 HFC Local Plant

• 11,000 Headends
• 450,000 Miles of Fiber
• 1,150,000 Miles of Semi-rigid Coax Trunk Cable
• 70 Aerial 30 Underground
• 2,400,000 Miles of Drop Cable to residence
• 1,440,000 Miles Active 960,000 Miles Inactive
• Constant rebuilds and upgrades
• 40,000 Plant Miles rebuilt every year
• 80,000 Plant Miles upgraded every year

Source CableLabs
13
Challenge 5 HFC Local Plant
60,000 - 100,000 Homes Passed
FN
DWDM
Primary Hub
Primary Ring
Local Hub
FN
Local Hub
500 - 2000 Homes Passed
10,000 - 20,000 Homes Passed

• Fiber is moved further into the network
• FTTC and FTTH still too expensive
• As traffic grows system can easily expand
• Add more Fiber Nodes or Local Hubs
• Reduce homes passed by a Fiber Node
• Transition to Mini Fiber Node (mFN) architecture

14
Challenge 5 HFC Local Plant
Upgrade to HFC Phase I mFN
Local hub
Local hub
AnalogTV
EmergingServices
AnalogTV
EmergingServices
5
50
500
750
1G
5
50
500
750
1G
Phase II mFN
Local Hub
MuxNode
mFN
mFN
50 Homes Passed
AnalogTV
EmergingServices
Fiber
Coax
5
50
500
750
1G
15
Challenge 5 HFC Local Plant
General Instruments Headend
SUBSCRIBER SYSTEM
CONTENT SOURCES
Locally Encoded Analog Signals
DHEI
IRT 1000
DCT-1000/1200
QPSK
Digital Satellite Multiplexes
64QAM
C6U
I Mult.
IRT 2000
DCT-2000
Digital Satellite Split Multiplexes
QPSK
C6U
64 QAM
Q Mult.
Digital Satellite Signals
QPSK
MPS
C6U
64/256QAM
DCT-5000
DS3
Digital Transport
Digital Broadcast Signals
8-VSB
OC-3
RPD 1000
DOCSIS Cable Modems
NC 1500
Ethernet
DAC 6000
The Internet
OM 1000
NC 2000
NETSentryTM Digital Domain Manager
KLS 1000
PSTN
Video Server Content
HFC
DANIS/DLS
Interactive Application Servers
HCT 1000
CMTS
16
Challenge 6 Interface Gateway
Circuit Switched Telephony Architecture
Cable NIU
Primary Hub
Local hub
Fiber Node
Tap
HDT
17
Challenge 6 Interface Gateway
Cable Modem High Speed Data Architecture
CM
Cable NIU
Cable NIU
Primary Hub
Local hub
Fiber Node
Tap
HDT
18
Challenge 6 Interface Gateway
VOIP Telephony Cable Modem Architecture
Telephony Gateway
BTI
CM
Primary Hub
Local hub
Fiber Node
Tap
19
Challenge 6 Interface Gateway
Basic Digital Splitter
Media Access Point
CATV In
Digital CATV
Re-homed telephone wiring
PC LAN
BTI-DOCSIS
DISK SERVER
PWR BATT
PBX Option
Cable/LEC mode switch or relay
Back plane. distributes CATV, analog phone lines,
AC and DC power and high speed digital data bus
Optional Modules
To TVs STBs
Re-homed telephone wiring with remote switch-over
PC home network new existing wiring or wireless
Toll quality lifeline service - existing
telephone wiring or wireless
From RJ11 Jacks of Telco NID
20
Challenge 6 Interface Gateway
Basic Digital Splitter

• Structured standardized installation tool
• Digital CATV output is filtered from premises
  noise sources
• Re-homing of telephone wiring
• Remote switch over of house telephone wiring from
  LEC to Cable could eliminate truck roll
• Supports premises or plant powering and Cable GFI
• Could be engineered to support Angel and DBS
• Targeted as low cost device 30lt
• Installed on all the next truck rolls with
  customer permission

CATV In
Digital CATV
Re-homed telephone wiring
Cable/LEC mode switch or relay
To TVs STBs
Re-homed telephone wiring with remote switch-over
From RJ11 Jacks of Telco NID
21
Challenge 6 Interface Gateway

• Supports multiple vendors, PnPDIY installation
  and retail sales which can eliminate truck rolls
• Backplane supports
• Digital clean CATV to each slot
• 8 Analog phone lines to all slots
• TTL Ethernet for UPnP
• High speed TDMA 100 Mbytes/s
• DC and UPS power
• Easy connection to Digital Splitter
• Wide range of optional modules
• Supports remote diagnostics, telemetry, control
  and service level provisioning
• Should be low cost device 50lt and 100 - 300
  per module

Media Access Point
PC LAN
BTI-DOCSIS
PWR BATT
DISK SERVER
PBX Option
22
Challenge 7 Home Networks

• PC needs are driving most home networking
  technology today
• HomePNA is key activity
• Microsoft Universal Plug and Play is key activity
• Cable needs will become critical driver of home
  networking technology next year
• Copy protection, conditional access, encryption,
  device discovery and control protocols are key
• Precision clock distribution, low latency, sub-Ns
  jitter, quality of service and higher bandwidths
  are key
• No new wires is ok but no wires is better

23
Challenge 7 Home Networks
C control D data T telephony A CD
audio V MPEG video and audio
24
Challenge 8 Devices

• Television activities centered on set top box
• DCT2000 set top box deployment today
• DCT5000 advanced set top box deployment 2000
• Retail set top box via OpenCable in 2001
• PC activity centered on DOCSIS cable modem
• Migrating from DOCSIS 1.0 to 1.1
• Telephone activity centered on interfaces and
  multiple line multiplexing
• Circuit switched deployment today
• PacketCable VOIP in 2000
• New devices on the horizon
• Webpad, webphone, internet stereo, managed
  systems for security, energy management and home
  control

25
Challenge 8 Devices
General Instruments DCT2000
State of the Art Audio Video MPEG-2 Video
Decoder Wide screen capable Dolby AC-3 Digital
Audio
Two-Way Communications ALOHA RF return path
Starvue II RF Return Path modem
Interfaces RF, Baseband Output Ports Low Power IR
Blaster Port RF, Baseband Output Ports Internal
Application Interface Port High and Low speed
Data Output Ports Low Power IR Blaster Port Full
Feature Access from Front Panel
Application Features 27MHz CPU 6.3 Mb total
memory 2.048 Mbps out of band data
receiver 8-bit Graphics capability GI/VRTX O/S
API support Macrovision Anti-Copy Protection
Optional Features Analog Descrambling BTSC
Stereo Decoder High Power IR Blaster Port High or
Low Power Tethered IR Blaster Module Serial Data
Connector High-speed telco return modem
Networking Features 54-860MHz tuner 64/256 QAM
modulation Messaging Capabilities DES based
Encryption
26
Challenge 8 Devices
General Instruments DCT5000
Additional interactive capabilities Integrated
DOCSIS cable modem File sharing Person to person
games IP telephony

• Powerful Hardware/Networking Platform
• Powerful CPU - 347 MIPS 167MHz
• High-end graphics capability
• 24 Bit graphics
• 3D and animation capable
• Greater Memory Capacity
• 14.3MB total memory
• Field upgradeable
• Optional internal IDE disk storage
• Dedicated Upstream Bandwidth
• TDMA Return
• Triple Tuner Architecture
• Watch, Talk Surf functionality

• Open Flexible Software Platform
• Run a Variety of O/S Middleware
• Windows CE
• Aperios
• VRTX
• NCI
• PersonalJava
• Others
• Supports OpenCable software interfaces
• HTML and Run-time Engines
• JAVA Scripting
• Robust Applications Environment

27
Challenge 8 Devices

• OpenCable STB POD
• The Point of Deployment (POD) separable security
  module contains all security functions and out of
  band signaling functions.

• The POD security module enables any OpenCable
  compliant device to deliver a cable systems
  secure digital video services.

28
Challenge 8 Devices

• DOCSIS 1.1 Cable Modem
• Released to Interim Status on March 11th 1999
• Fully backwards compatible with DOCSIS 1.0
• DOCSIS 1.1 builds on top of the DOCSIS 1.0
  specification
• provides key enhancements to DOCSIS 1.0
• complete set of QoS functionality and features
• CMTS controlled fragmentation in the upstream
• efficient use of both Downstream and Upstream
  bandwidth via Payload Header Suppression
• standardized approach for IP Multicast support
  over cable.
• increased protection against thief of service via
  CM authentication
• complemented by the Baseline Privacy Plus
  Interface Specification
• Provides all necessary underlying services
  required to support large scale deployment of
  Voice over IP (VOIP) and other latency sensitive
  applications

29
Challenge 8 Devices
PacketCable 1.0

• Features/Functions
• Market trials
• Migration to DOCSIS 1.1
• Utilizes DOCSIS 1.1 CMTS
• Network call signaling
• Interoperable clients, Call agents, gateways
• Common billing event messages
• Standard network management of clients
• Common calling features
• Announcement servers

• Limitations
• P-QoS allows telephony, may limit other
  application deployments
• Proprietary CMS-PSTN GC Signaling
• Single zone on-net calling greater use of PSTN
  for terminations
• IP address privacy not addressed

30
Challenge 8 Devices
PacketCable 1.1

• Features/Functions
• 2 call signaling models network based and
  client-based feature support
• 2 QoS signaling modelsProvisioned, Dynamic
• Future multimedia applications
• IP address privacy
• Carrier class reliability

• Limitations
• Single zone on-net calling greater use of PSTN
  for terminations
• D-QoS requires changes to DOCSIS 1.1 CMTS
• D-QoS- Additional signaling traffic bandwidth,
  setup time
• Distributed Call Signaling More powerful clients
  required

31
Challenge 9 Multiple Vendors

• ATT committed to three principles
• Multiple vendor competition based on standards
• Increasing consumer choice of devices at retail
• Rapid deployment of advanced services to
  consumers
• ATT - Microsoft Agreement
• Increased order for Windows CE from 5 million to
  7.5 million units with an option for up to 10
  million
• Agreed to evaluate TVPak client and server
  software
• Showcase city deployment of TVPak, client
  server, in one large and one small city
• Showcase city deployment of TVPak client only
  with non-MS server in third city
• Sold overseas properties to MS and accepted MS
  investment of 5 Billion in ATT

32
Challenge 10 Retail Standards

• Telecommunications Act of 1992 1996
• Cable subscribers can own their equipment
• FCC NPRM, February 1997
• Goal of assuring competition in the set-top
  market
• FCC Report and Order, June 1998
• Security module prototype by July 1999
• Security module form factor by January 2000
• Separable security module available by July 2000
• No embedded security after January 2005
• Hundreds, if not thousands, of potentially
  conflicting industry specifications and standards
• DVB, IETF, IEEE, ISO, HAVI, UPnP, HomePNA,
  HomeRF, ATVEF, DOCSIS, PacketCable, OpenCable, .
  . .

33
Challenge 10 Retail Standards

• Its not easy
• Retail channel wants to duplicate DSS business
  model with subsidy and annuity for each STB sale
• Retail channel vendors want one architecture
• Consumer Electronics vendors want standards but
  complete freedom to innovate as well as subsidy
  and annuity
• Consumer Electronics vendors want to integrate
  STB into TV and other devices without cost impact
• Existing head end and STB vendors want their
  proprietary CA and upstream systems to continue
  in the market
• The EPG problem is a whole presentation just by
  itself
• ISPs and AOL want completely open access platform
• Broadcasters want support for all video and data
  formats
• PC vendors want progressive scan

34
Glenns Broadband Challenge Meter
Easy
Hard
Way Hard

• Offers
• Sell, Install Provision
• Backbone Networks
• Regional Hubs Headends
• HFC Local plant
• Interface Gateways
• Home Networks
• Devices
• Multiple Vendors
• Retail Standards

35
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank David Nagel, President of
ATT Laboratories, Tony Werner, EVP Engineering
of ATT Broadband and Internet Services, Dick
Green, CEO of CableLabs and everyone at CableLabs
for their help in preparing this presentation.
I would also like to thank Misha Pavel of ATT
Laboratories for being kind enough to present
this talk at FDIS 99 in my absence.