A convergence of wired and wireless over Hybrid Fiber Coax

The need to have access to both real time and non real time information and be able to communicate via voice, data, video and short messages any time, any where has resulted in new technologies rapidly unfolding and being successfully implemented in North America. Infact benefits of such advances have been realized; both by the service providers and the population in U.S.A. and Canada. The service providers have been able to offer new services and content, stay competitive and achieve greater economies of scale on their hardware costs while being able to address more users. Propogation of direct digital broadcast services via satellite, fixed wireless services in developing and remote regions, availability of low cost wired line phones, advanced intelligent networks (AIN), smart switches (SS7) and finally the convergence of computers, telecommunications and cable television via Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) broadband access network will drive the future information age. Interactive residential services, like home shopping, video on demand, video telephony, distance learning, internet/web surfing, remote video game playing, and the evolution of digital broadcasts is driving the implementation of broadband networks. There are roughly 120 Million homes having both TV and telephones in U.S.A. and Canada. Deregulation of cable and telephony industries has allowed for both broadcast video (analog and/or digital) and telephony being provided over the same coax drop to the Network Interface Device situated at the customer premise. Both cable operators and telcos are vying to offer reliable telephone and cable service at a low cost. The paper covers the advances in the Cable TV network, Hybrid Fiber Coax and Odeum's offerings.