Zon TV Cabo and Telenet lead next-generation cable project

Development of a ‘Next Generation HFC broadband architecture’ is on the agenda for the ‘ReDesign project’, which has just been launched by two of Europe’s major cable operators with the support of equipment vendors and research organisations. The ReDesign consortium says it wants to develop new technologies that extend the life expectancy of today’s HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coax) cable networks.

The ReDesign consortium is comprised of Telenet, Zon TV Cabo and ANGA (the German association of cable operators), who are working with equipment manufacturers Alcatel-Lucent and VECTOR. The work is scientifically supported by the Dutch research institution TNO and Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, which is also coordinating the project.

The group says the increasing bandwidth demands on cable, which include HDTV and VOD, means the cable industry “needs to continuously evolve its networks to maintain its competitive advantage.” European cable operators are being invited to engage in ReDesign’s activities through an Operator Forum. It says the project will cooperate closely with standards developing organisations such as the DVB and CENELEC.