DOCSIS 3.1: WHAT IS IT, HOW DOES IT WORK, AND HOW CAN YOU PREPARE FOR IT? Daniel Howard, SCTE CTO July 16, 2013
VIDEO
PART 1: OFDM BUSINESS DRIVERS MAIN OBJECTIVES: As we go through Part 1 of today s lecture, you should be able to answer the following questions: What are the options in multiplexing today's data signals to the customer? What are the business, market and technology drivers for OFDM in cable? Why move beyond QAM 256? What are the options for higher order modulation? How will DOCSIS 3.1 with OFDM enable operators to deliver higher speed data services and increase the capacity of their HFC access networks? What makes OFDM especially well suited to deliver wider effective channels?
BUSINESS DRIVERS FOR OFDM ON HFC In a phrase: MORE HFC CAPACITY IS NEEDED! Market drivers: Business services, Over The Top (OTT) video, 4K video, 3DTV, etc. Economic drivers: Decrease cost per bit transmitted How much capacity do we need? 10 Gb/s downstream or greater 1 Gb/s upstream or greater Flexibility requirement: Need easy adaptation to different amounts of spectrum and plant conditions
HOW TO GET MORE CAPACITY? Higher orders of modulation (HOM) 256-QAM 4096-QAM Elimination/reduction of RF guard bands Greater capacity achieved primarily through LDPC (HOM in clean channel) and OFDM (elimination of guard bands and HOM in impaired channels) Close to 2x improvement over DOCSIS 3.0
Sub-carrier - 256 QAM Sub-carrier - 256 QAM Sub-carrier - 512 QAM Sub-carrier - 512 QAM Sub-carrier - 1024 QAM Sub-carrier - 4096 QAM Sub-carrier - 4096 QAM Sub-carrier - 1024 QAM NO WASTED CAPACITY: OFDM ADAPTIVE BIT LOADING OFDM D/S PHY channel
HIGHER ORDER MODULATION OPTIONS Why not just add LDPC to Single Carrier (SC) QAM to get higher order modulation? Guardbands and robustness! Other reasons for going to OFDM: Easier channel synthesis Less complex than MAC layer bonding Channel equalization (EQ) is simpler Incremental capacity addition Better economies of scale Attract new chipset and system vendors to cable market
PART 2: ENGINEERING DETAILS MAIN OBJECTIVES: As we go through Part 2 of today s lecture, you will be able to answer the following questions: How does OFDM differ from conventional FDM, ATDMA, and S-CDMA? How are the subcarriers orthogonal to each other in OFDM? How and why is the IFFT used in defining the OFDM waveform? How are pilot tones and the cyclic prefix used in OFDM? How does OFDM optimize the modulation order used in RF spectrum? Why makes OFDM better than S-CDMA and ATDMA in general? GLOSSARY: FDM: Frequency Division Multiplexing ATDMA: Advanced Time Division Multiple Access IFFT: Inverse Fast Fourier Transform S-CDMA: Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
THE OFDM CONCEPT OFDM sub-carriers can be packed tightly without interfering with each other And they fall off faster at band edges SC-QAM OFDM
ORTHOGONALITY DEFINED Mathematical orthogonality: f b, g f ( x) g( x) dx a 0 In communications, orthogonality means zero interference with each other at the receiver sampling instant Orthogonality in communications is typically in one of these domains: temporal, frequency, code, or spatial
ORTHOGONALITY EXAMPLES: TDMA i-th Burst Ramp-down time Timing-phase difference Dt s Guard time at CMTS receiver: Symbol period (i+1)-th Burst Ramp-up time
ORTHOGONALITY EXAMPLES: S-CDMA CODE DOMAIN Code 1 Code 1 Data stream 1 Spreading De-spreading Data stream 1 Data stream 2 Code 2 Spreading + RF Channel Code 2 De-spreading Data stream 2 Code N Code N Data stream N Spreading De-spreading Data stream N
ORTHOGONALITY EXAMPLES: S-CDMA TIMING SYNCH i-th Burst Ramp-down time Timing-phase difference nearly 0 Chip period Guard time at CMTS receiver may be 0 (i+1)-th Burst Ramp-up time
OFDM ORTHOGONALITY rect(t) transforms to sin(f)/f or sinc(f) time F frequency Precise frequency spacing Df = k, k = 1 typically t
HOW OFDM DATA IS TRANSMITTED VIA IFFT This e +j 0 n D(k) D(k) e +j 1 n e +j N-1 n + Channel D(k) is mathematically equivalent to this: N 1 k 0 D( k) e j2 nk/ N IFFT N ( n, D)
Serial to Parallel Parallel to Serial OFDM TX BLOCK DIAGRAM Data bits Scrambler Error Correction Encode Interleaver Symbol Map (bits to QAM) IFFT Cyclic Prefix to RF upconverter
OFDM CYCLIC PREFIX copy Symbol n-1 Symbol n Symbol n+1 Cyclic Prefix N-point IFFT Output
OFDM SYNCHRONIZATION Frequency Synchronization Error Other carriers do not cancel Clock Synchronization Error Initial synch is lost during sampling
PILOT TONES IN OFDM
BER PERFORMANCE IN AWGN These curves are the same for OFDM as for S-CDMA and ATDMA in an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel
PART 3: PERFORMANCE DETAILS MAIN OBJECTIVES: As we go through Part 3 of today s lecture, you will be able to answer the following questions: Why is OFDM better on the upstream in impulse and narrow band ingress? What are the advantages/disadvantages of OFDM? What are some key areas that cable operators can focus on when preparing to deploy OFDM in their networks? How will operators transition to OFDM and higher order QAM rates? What are the operational system and network implications of OFDM and its deployment?
OFDM S SECRET WEAPON Narrow subcarriers mean long symbols frequency Benefits are easy mitigation of: Micro-reflections 23 db tap (R=7 db) time +31 dbmv +30 dbmv 100 feet (1 db loss) +22 dbmv +23 dbmv +15 dbmv +14 dbmv 20 db tap (R=7 db) CA Node H41 0.02 0.015 Ingress, impulse and burst noise 0.01 0.005 0-0.005-0.01 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 x 10-4
BURST NOISE PERFORMANCE DETAILS FFT of oscilloscope capture of burst noise event on upstream -40-45 -50-55 -60-65 Same trace with burst noise event clipped out of time capture Reveals ingress and flatness of actual channel -70 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 x 10 7-35 -40-45 -50-55 -60-65 -70-75 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 x 10 7
HIGHLY ATTENUATED UPSTREAMS MDU cable modems can have highly attenuated upstreams S-CDMA and OFDM modulations allow Tx power to be concentrated on fewer tones (or codes in S-CDMA) SNR per tone is much higher Reduces burst rate, but keeps spectral efficiency high Normal power per tone Cable upstream frequency
HIGHER PEAK TO AVERAGE POWER RATIO OF OFDM OFDM has a high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), but so does a spectrum full of SC-QAM PAPR = ( x 2 ) peak x rms 2 PAPR can be reduced, but probably not necessary
PART 4: DEPLOYMENT PLANNING MAIN OBJECTIVES: As we go through Part 4 of today s lecture, you will be able to answer the following questions: How will operators transition to OFDM and higher order QAM rates? What are the operational system and network implications of OFDM and its deployment? What are some key areas that cable operators can focus on when preparing to deploy OFDM in their networks? How will the SCTE help operators deploy DOCSIS 3.1 OFDM in their networks?
OPERATION ON HFC NETWORKS Key aspects: Upstream spectrum remains below downstream CPE devices support current and future upstream splits CPE devices operate in current and future downstreams Deployment implications No plant changes required to deploy DOCSIS 3.1 equipment Future proof - no CPE or infrastructure swap required
EFFECTIVE MIGRATION STRATEGY Achieved primarily by including: Backward compatibility requirements Support for upgrades to DOCSIS 3.1 technology in CCAP How does that enable an effective migration strategy? Incremental deployment of DOCSIS 3.1 modems Continued use of DOCSIS 2.0 & 3.0 modems after 3.1 upgrades
DOCSIS 3.1 TECHNOLOGY - MIGRATION Backward compatibility Support of at least 24 bonded SC-QAMs in downstream and 8 in upstream S-CDMA in the upstream DOCSIS 3.1 CMs required to operate on DOCSIS 3.0 CMTSs DOCSIS 3.1 CMTSs required to support DOCSIS 3.0 (and 2.0) CMs To be implemented also with CCAP equipment Operation on existing HFC networks Upstream spectrum remains below downstream Supports operation with existing upstream splits (42/65 MHz as mostly in operation, 85 MHz as specified in DOCSIS 3.0) Supports spectrum enhancement in upstream (e.g. 200 MHz) and downstream (e.g. 1.2 GHz or even 1.7 GHz) Supports the ability to take advantage of enhanced capabilities when network, headend and CPE equipment permit
Headend CPE DOCSIS 3.1 Use Cases DOCSIS 3.0 CM DOCSIS 3.1 CM Few 1.0/1.1 Lots of 2.0 Some 3.0 Remove 1.0/1.1 More 3.0 Many 3.0 First 3.1 Lots of 3.0 More 3.1 Lots of 3.1 Reduction of 2.0 Today Soon 3.1 CM 3.1 DS CCAP 3.1 US CCAP Better HFC 5-65 MHz US 3.0 CMTS DS Bonding 3.0 CCAP More DS Bonding US Bonding S-CDMA 3.0 CCAP More DS & US Bonding 3.1 CCAP First 3.1 DS OFDM DS Expansion First 3.1 US OFDMA US & DS Expansion DOCSIS 3.0 CMTS/CCAP Considerations when introducing DOCSIS 3.1 DOCSIS 3.0 CCAP before DOCSIS 3.1 available First DOCSIS 3.1 CM with DOCSIS 3.0 CCAP Introducation of DOCSIS 3.1 DS in CCAP via Firmware Upgrade Introducation of DOCSIS 3.1 US in CCAP via Line Card swap Expansion of frequency range particularly in US very complex DOCSIS 3.1 CMTS/CCAP (Source: CableLabs, Comcast)
TOWARDS FTTH? Residential Services Business Services DOCSIS 3.0 Channel Bonding EPON / GPON / P2P CCAP High-density Headend Distributed Architecture DOCSIS 3.1 New PHY EPoC Time All Fiber
SCTE SUPPORT FOR DOCSIS 3.1 SCTE engineering support to 3.1 spec development DOCSIS training/certification update for 3.1 Other content DOCSIS 3.1 landing zone: SCTE Standards SCTE recommended practice documents New SCTE HFC readiness working group Symposium on 3.1/HFC readiness
SCTE HFC READINESS SPECIAL WORKING GROUP (SWG) Goal: Accelerate deployment of 3.1 Output: Best practices documents for optimizing network capacity with DOCSIS 3.x Kickoff meeting 24 May 2013 Phase 1: Optimizing loaded DOCSIS 3.0 networks Delivery: 1 Sep 2013 Phase 2: Optimizing loaded DOCSIS 3.1 networks Measurement project to be undertaken Procedures being written up for MSOs Webinar planned to demonstrate procedures SWG team as backup to do measurements
PHASE 1 GENERAL ISSUES How fully loaded D3.0 network capacity is affected by equipment performance limits and plant impairments Planning and optimization recommendations Recommendations for network equipment and monitoring equipment How to configure, monitor, and maintain a fully utilized DOCSIS 3.0 upstream and downstream
SWG TOPICS FOR PHASE 1 DOCUMENT Laser linearity and dynamic range (headroom) Noise measurement recommendation (Measurements for accurate noise/interference diagnostics) Impairment visibility on fully loaded plants Effect of changing signal levels (increase for High Order Modulation, distortion, etc) Educating the workforce for High order Modulation with existing equipment (new tools) Availability of test & diagnostics equipment (to add intelligence and higher measurement resolution) LTE ingress, TV white space, satellite and MoCA Minimum standards for plant & maintenance (+evolution) Beyond MER (higher order moments in measurements) Dynamic modulation rollback and proactive network maintenance (PNM) actions Best mix of SCDMA and ATDMA Improve Home/Biz/MDU installation practices (certificate of install, better records, trends/tracking, operations and field) Impairment library, map to migration strategy Better CMTS metrics Configuration/optimization planning (CMTS, plant specific, key knobs)
TUTORIALS IN PHASE 1 DOCUMENT Upstream laser characterization using D3.0 bonded carriers Steady state ingress, transient noise, and high levels of collisions in contention mini-slots with modern equipment (VSA, DSO, CMTS) RF spectral power density considerations for the upstream: Constant power per Hz, constant power per carrier, other power profiles, and other methods to optimize total upstream capacity Correlation of RF leakage measurements to downstream and upstream ingress and transient noise estimation; and New measurement procedures oriented towards determining how best to maximize the capacity of fully loaded DOCSIS 3.x networks.
IMPACT OF INGRESS AND CONTENTION COLLISIONS ON UPSTREAM LASER Amplitude (dbmv) 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 -30-35 -40 6 14 22 30 38 46 54 62 70 78 86 Frequency (MHz)
DYNAMIC RANGE VS. LASER TYPE
Amplitude (dbmv) IMPAIRMENT VISIBILITY OUT OF BAND 20 Transient Noise on Return Node 15 10 5 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 -30-35 -40 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77 81 Frequency (MHz)
HOMEPLUG INTERFERENCE SEEN ON UPSTREAM
WHAT TO MEASURE Attenuation and thermal noise in the channel vs. transmit power limit Capabilities of existing optics Frequency response/micro-reflections Ingress, impulse and burst noise Non-linear impairments (CSO, CTB)
LONG TERM REQUIREMENTS Objectives of 10 Gbit/s DS and 1 Gbit/s US capacity requires more RF spectrum 1.2-1.5 GHz on the downstream, 200-400 MHz on the upstream Highest availability and capacity may ultimately require Better DFB cooled downstream lasers Higher powered upstream lasers Improved passives and RF amplifiers These improvements can be done surgically, only on nodes where needed Characterizing current plant performance will determine how close an MSO can come to the objectives with minor to moderate tweaks to the existing HFC Infrastructure
REFERENCES / FOR MORE INFO OFDM basics tutorial http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/ofdm/ofdm-basics-tutorial.php What is OFDM (Hranac) http://www.cablefax.com/cfp/ct/news/ctreports/commentary/what-is-ofdm_55404.html OFDM FAQ/Tutorial http://mobiledevdesign.com/tutorials/ofdm/ OFDM Tutorial http://www.complextoreal.com/chapters/ofdm2.pdf DVB-C2: Revolutionising RF Bandwidths Utilization in Cable http://www.ict-redesign.eu/fileadmin/documents/1003_scte_broadband_dvb-c2.pdf OFDM and the orthogonality principle http://www.ice.rwth-aachen.de/research/algorithms-projects/ofdm/ofdm-and-the-orthogonality-principle/ Wikipedia entry on OFDM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/orthogonal_frequency-division_multiplexing The principles of OFDM (RF Design) http://rfdesign.com/images/archive/0101puegel30.pdf OFDM Overview (Va Tech) http://www.mprg.org/research/ofdm/index.html OFDM Uncovered Part 1: The Architecture http://www.eetimes.com/design/communications-design/4141953/ofdm-uncovered-part-1-the-architecture
SCTE DOCSIS AND PHY LAYER LEARNING RESOURCES Courses Channel Bonding in DOCSIS 3.0 http://www.scte.org/professional_development/channel_bonding_in_docsis_30_on_demand_description.aspx Coaxial Cable in the HFC Plant http://www.scte.org/professional_development/_coaxial_cable_in_the_hfc_plant.aspx Data Communications http://www.scte.org/professional_development/data_communications_description.aspx Digital Basics and DOCSIS Fundamentals http://www.scte.org/events/digital_basics_and_docsis%c2%ae_fundamentals_.aspx DOCSIS Systems http://www.scte.org/events/docsis%e2%84%a2_deployment_detail.aspx Return Path http://www.scte.org/events/return_path_detail.aspx Primers: What is LTE? http://www.scte.org/resources/scte_primers_for_download.aspx#lte What is Modulation? http://www.scte.org/resources/scte_primers_for_download.aspx#modulation