CableLabs have already begun testing the new set of DOCSIS 3.0 (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications) equipment submitted by five cable internet service providers. The DOCSIS 3.0 standard is still awaiting certification, but some cable ISP in Asia have already launched their lines of DOCSIS 3.0 modems, pending certification.

As for now, the common standard adopted by worldwide ISPs is the long-runner DOCSIS 1.1 which has already proven fail-safe, but as the distribution technology evolves, and more and more ISPs switch to fiber, DOCSIS 1.1 becomes the main bottleneck in networking distribution. Since the advent of digital high-definition content, speed is everything - just what lacks the old DOCSIS 1.1 standard.

DOCSIS 3.0 is supposed to fix the unfortunate aspect, by providing download speeds up to 160Mbps and uploads of up to 120Mbps, marking a four-fold increase over today's current high-speed standards.
The modem can reach amazing download and upload speeds by using a process called "Channel Bonding" - which means that multiple channels of data transfer are used rather than just one (DOCSIS 1.1).

On top of that, the new standard is Ipv6 compliant, supporting lots of security features as well as enhanced network management. When using the DOCSIS 3.0 standard, there is no physical restriction in using IPTV or other high-definition video streaming services.

During the tests, the DOCSIS 3.0 gear had exemplary results: customers of a South Korea service provider witnessed download speeds of 100Mbps, while a trial in Singapore revealed download speeds up to 145Mbps.

The DOCSIS 3.0 certification is an important step for internet-over-cable service providers, who have constantly been threatened by the expansion of fiber-optics. Cable companies should be able to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 compliant equipment at the beginning of 2008 - especially in territories already under the rule of fiber-optics internet service providers.