Spectrum currently doesn’t offer fiber internet to residential customers and there don’t seem to be any future plans either. However, it is bringing fiber-like internet to its cable networks.

Spectrum Internet with multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds will be based on Extended Spectrum DOCSIS (ESD), a version of DOCSIS 4.0. Here we uncover exactly what Spectrum has achieved so far, what it’s working on, and what we can expect from it in the near future.

Spectrum’s 8.5Gbps/6Gbps Test

Spectrum captured the spotlight in early 2022 when it demonstrated 8.5 Gbps downstream and 6 Gbps upstream speeds in lab trials. While other cable companies had so far only promised 10-gigabit speeds, Spectrum brought the dream closer to reality than ever before. 

Spectrum used its existing network to reach these speeds. The only new technology it employed was equipment based on a new net of specifications for hybrid fiber-coaxial networks, called DOCSIS 4.0.

What is DOCSIS 4.0?

DOCSIS stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification. It is a standard all cable internet providers use to communicate with modems. The most advanced version of DOCSIS that’s currently possible to implement on a large scale is DOCSIS 3.1. If you have an advanced top-of-the-line modem, it probably has DOCSIS 3.1. 

DOCSIS 4.0 is the latest of these standards. It has a downstream data capacity of 10 Gbps and an upstream capacity of 6 Gbps. CableLabs, the organization that developed DOCSIS, released DOCSIS 4.0 specifications back in 2017. But the technologies needed to implement these specifications are still being developed.

Spectrum’s DOCSIS 4.0 Technologies

Modems and Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS) are two of the main puzzle pieces of DOCSIS 4.0. In order to fully implement the new set of specifications and achieve higher speeds, we need CMTSs that can send and modems that can receive data at those speeds.

One powerful technology that enables quicker DOCSIS 4.0 implementation is virtualization. Cable internet providers are working on virtualized CMTS computers that run on independent servers. 

Just like a calculator app on a smartphone doesn’t have a physical existence, these machines don’t exist in a physical form and don’t take up any additional space. Since they’re only computer programs, they can be upgraded by assigning more resources from the server and installing software updates. Virtualization allows new technologies to be implemented into the CMTS quickly and economically.

Earlier in 2023, Spectrum announced its partnership with Harmonic as its vendor for vCMTS. Harmonic is considered the leader in the development of vCMTS. While Spectrum’s competitor Xfinity is working on its own vCMTS, Spectrum’s decision to outsource to the leader may give Spectrum internet service an edge.

This leaves DOCSIS 4.0 modems: the second half of the puzzle. 

When Will Spectrum Bring Symmetrical Speeds?

DOCSIS 4.0 modems have so far only been created as prototypes for lab tests. We won’t have DOCSIS 4.0 modems in the market before 2025 according to estimates. But that’s not the whole story.

Comcast representatives have shared that symmetrical speeds are coming to Xfinity Internet sometime in the second half of 2023. Charter CEO Tom Ruthledge has also hinted at bringing symmetrical speeds to Spectrum soon. How do they plan to do this?

Both Xfinity and Spectrum will offer symmetrical multi-gigabit speeds using existing DOCSIS 3.1 technology. So we can expect symmetrical multi-gigabit speeds from Spectrum in late 2023 or 2024. 

But while we wait for symmetrical speeds over cable it’s important to ask, “Do we really need it?”

Do We Really Need Symmetrical Speeds?

Fierce Telecom reported that in an investor conference, Charter’s CEO argued that symmetrical speeds are more of a marketing gimmick than a useful feature. Are symmetrical speeds something we really need or have we been made to believe so by the fiber internet industry?

An average American home uploads about 30 GB of data per month. Compare that to the average download data usage of over 500 GB and you’ll have your answer. 

The upstream data during most tasks today only consists of instructions about what data to download—we can’t foresee a future where this asymmetry between upstream and downstream data doesn’t hold. We’ll always need faster download speeds than upload speeds. 

DOCSIS 3.1 has 1.5 Gbps upstream capacity and 10 Gbps downstream capacity. These speeds are enormously high to be inadequate for any modern home. 

Fiber internet’s symmetrical speeds may be a feature cable internet can’t match yet, but don’t let it distract you from what actually matters: download speeds.

Conclusion

Spectrum currently does not plan on bringing fiber internet to residential consumers, but it’s working on DOCSIS 4.0 technologies to enable symmetrical multi-gigabit speeds with cable internet. Still, it’s important to realize that download speeds are and will always be more important than upload speeds.