Two-way broadband CATV-HFC networks: state-of-the-art and future trends

Cable modems allow two way digital data transmission between households and a central neighborhood server. In this overview we briefly describe some o f the common characteristics of the Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) operation as pr esented by several standards bodies (both completed standards and works in progress). This includes a description and comparison of the media access c ontrol and physical layer operations of several competing proposals. Our de sire is to give a concise but complete picture of the cable modem problem a nd the proposed solutions. References are provided for readers interested i n further investigation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .