Videotron Trials Gigabit over DOCSIS 3.0

Canadian cable operator Videotron is testing 1 Gbps Internet service over HFC plant in Montréal. The pilot project, which began in Montréal-area homes and businesses several months ago and is expected to run to the end of the year, uses DOCSIS 3.0 technology. Daniel Proulx, chef de la direction technologique for Videotron, said the pilot includes new Hitron modems and gateways capable of bonding 32 channels downstream, Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) CMTSs, and fiber-deep network architecture with 125 homes per node.

The MSO, which already offers 120 Mbps and 200 Mbps services to nearly 2.9 million households and businesses, plans to introduce the new service commercially at a later date. The Videotron network upgrades, which began in 2008, are intended to prepare the network for DOCSIS 3.1 when that technology becomes available, Proulx said, which is expected next year.