Abstract

In today’s world, people demand for Triple Play services like - high speed data (HSD), highdefinition video on demand (VoD) and voice services over cable broadband. In order to meet customer expectations, CSPs must invest in the cutting-edge solutions (i.e. they need to upgrade their existing HFC network to higher frequency range). Most of the service providers prefer to increase their bandwidth from 860 MHz to 1 Ghz & 1.2Ghz by using DOCSIS 3.0 & 3.1 transmission system.

At Cyient, we have significant expertise in HFC technology. Our effective plan and design methodology and experience in HFC network design empowers CSPs to optimize their networks. Our onshore/offshore delivery model enables our clients to utilize their existing and new network infrastructure effectively, thus improving deployment, trim their project timelines, reduce their design costs, and improve their operational efficiencies.

Cyient has an expert HFC engineers’ team with excellent skillset on HFC engineering projects globally. We have also delivered complex HFC designs in Greenfield & brownfield area’s (RF- Forward & Return signals) on the HFC network with 100% accuracy.

Core Competence Capabilities and Service Offerings

 

  • Over 200 experienced professionals in network planning, design, managing As-Built record and field engineering- with an average experience of ten years. Of these, more than 50 are domain experts on coax and fiber networks-including HFC, DOCSIS 3.0, Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG), and fibre deep architecture.
  • Expertise in HFC plan & designs, Node segmentations, node Split, HFC Bandwidth Upgrade scopes.
  • Dedicated survey team to do field survey experience for Aerial, underground and in house (SDU, MDU buildings)
  • Ability to prepare Permit designs for Aerial, Underground network along with structure analysis
  • Ability to prepare Construction designs with BOM and BOL material lists.
  • In built capabilities to calculate RF and Power signals for active and passive components with 100% quality outputs
  • Ability to rapidly scale operations, based on the client's business dynamics
  • Developed IP tool using opensource platform for HFC in house designs (MDU, commercial) which helps to design the RF network more efficient way with RF calculation, generating BOM, BOL and schematic drawing.
  • Proven experience of underground and overhead cable design techniques, OFC splicing, testing, and troubleshooting.
  • Expertise across all leading inventory products such as NetCracker, Lode data, CATV Engine and Physical design products including GE Smallworld, SpatialNET, Bentley Comms, Microstation, AutoCAD, ArcGIS, Intergraph G/Technology, Microstation, AND tool, CableScout.
  • Proven expertise in handling Green and Brown field situations for preliminary, detailed and as-built records.
  • Competent in creating, maintaining, and managing as-built records, which includes creating new structures on the asset management system data.
  • Identifying the gaps and closing them in a cost effective and efficient manner by combining record reviews, data collection and on-going record creation activities.
  • Competent in cleansing the network data by ensuring the records are in the required format according to the As built data received from field engineers.
  • Familiar in adopting appropriate reviewing and updating procedures to ensure records remain current and accurate.
  • Industry-certified technical consultants (SCTE-BDS, SCTE-DOCSIS, CFHP, SECT 1A).

The following provides an overview of our HFC services:

HFC Planning & Design Services

Inventory Services

Field Services

  • Desktop design (Future design)
  • High level design (Brown Field & greenfield)
  • Detail design (Brown Field & greenfield)
  • Node segmentation
  • Node split
  • HFC bandwidth upgrade
  • Trunk/feeder network plan and design
  • Permit designs
  • Construction/redline drawings
  • As built updates
  • Data conversion
  • Network inventory migration
  • Data conflation/ positional accuracy improvement
  • GPS survey and data collection
  • Fiber and coax walkout surveys
  • Aerial & underground survey

 

Essential Planning, Design and Field Services

High-Level-Design

High-Level Design (HLD)


We understand our client’s network architecture technology requirements, after which we study and analyze the network to identify existing brownfield and new Greenfield sites. The next step is to create new sub-divisions for the existing landbase.

Then we carry out address validation, by referring to the client’s database or third-party information sources. During the desktop survey we study the locations, create clusters, and cluster boundaries— based on ‘homes passed’. We then define the optimized locations for fiber-optic nodes/mini-bridge/ line extenders, generating BoM/BoQ reports based on the HLD approved by the client.

Low-Level-Design

Low-Level Design (LLD)


After studying the field information captured from the walkout survey, we carry out the following steps:

  • Split the feeding cables and suggest possible locations for placing amplifiers
  • Plan and distribute coaxial cable, using active and passive components
  • Calculate RF signal levels such as downstream (forward), upstream (return), considering the cable attenuation (dB/100ft)
  • Calculate LV power levels, by considering the voltage/current
  • Generate schematics with location address and signal levels (forward, return, and LV signals) at the respective section
  • Create final BoM/BoQ and trace reports, for fiber and coax cables
Walkout-Surveys

Walkout Surveys


During this phase, we validate the physical address and feasibility of the proposed optical node, by using GPS to capture location details. We then verify the feasibility of the construction methodology (overhead or underground) and mark it on the HLD, updating BoM/ BoQ reports with these field changes.

As-Built-Records-Updates

As-Built Records Updates


After checking the existing as-built records for changes, we update the design. We validate as-built inputs and the actual materials used against the BoM/BoQ, and generate trace reports for both fiber and coaxial from head-end to ON, to the drop.

Business Benefits

Efficient-Network

Efficient Network design provides more capacity per customer, and better performance & reliability that will support a future evolution to DOCSIS 3.1 / Remote PHY / full duplex and/or a Passive Optical Network.

Accurate-Network

Accurate Network planning and designs within short span of time.

Bill-of-Materials

Complete recommendations for equipment selection and Bill of Materials (BoM), which reduces the manual efforts and errors in updating the BOM

Cost-and-manpower

Cost and manpower savings with the capability of Cyient automation

Savings

Savings on implementation cost by way of using optimized HFC network designs.

documents

Availability of related documents for preparing tenders for award of a labor contract for mechanical resources.

Improved-network

Improved network utilization through greater knowledge and use of existing network assets.

Reduced-operational

Reduced operational expenditure through efficient planning and engineering resulting in increased workforce productivity

Key Highlights

 

in-house-tools

Huge arsenal of in-house tools enabling automation of laborintensive processes ensuring productivity improvements and high-quality deliverables.

W_01-14

Successfully delivered HFC P&D records to the Tier 1 and Tier 2 CSP’s globally, on an agreed KPI’s and SLA’s.

W_01-15

Conversant with more than 25 MN hours of data service experience.

W_01-16

Competent enough to deliver 1200+ AsBuilt records per year.

W_01-17

Successfully delivered 42+ MN home passes, 230+K work orders and 2200+ FDA’s across the globe.

 

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Case Studies

Helping reduce the turnaround time of customer service requests for one of the largest CSPs in North America

The challenge

  • Provide timely response to customer enquiries for service
  • Identify whether the customer falls within the client’s network region
  • Estimate the cost involved in servicing the customer

 

Designing Technique

We performed desktop survey using the third-party geographical websites to improve the TAT for the customer enquiries. We set up an expert team of SMEs and designers to carry out HFC network plan and design for the client’s network. We created subdivisions to include customers who are a bit away from the existing network.

 

The outcome

  • Our client could process more than 150 enquiries in a single day
  • Reduced Capex by approximately 9%
  • 98% acceptability of the solution provided for the customer enquiry
  • Cost-effective solution to deliver services as per customer enquiries

HFC network plan and design services for the largest CSP in Belgium

The challenge

  • Enhance the network performance from the current operating frequency to higher frequency
  • Optimize the utilization of the existing network and infrastructure
  • Upgrading the existing network without adding/deleting cable

 

Designing Technique

Our expert resources with their vast experience in HFC plan and design, delivered optimized plans without replacing or adding cables in the existing network (by replacing the passive and active components).

 

The outcome

  • The network design proved our design capabilities and the client offered us more design work
  • We have delivered five HFC network designs in the pilot phase

Delivering a next-generation future-proof network to the largest CSP in South Asia region

The challenge

  • Audit Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) area and markup of the existing changes/errors
  • Health check of the coaxial access network and its elements including infrastructure status reporting
  • Update the records in GIS system

 

Designing Technique

We verified the hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) access networks, provided asset information report, and updated the network information.

 

The outcome

  • Optimization of the network usage
  • Capacity analysis to support network expansion plans

About Cyient

Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) is a consulting-led, industry-centric, global Technology Solutions company. We enable our customers to apply technology imaginatively across their value chain to solve problems that matter. We are committed to designing tomorrow together with our stakeholders and being a culturally inclusive, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable organization.

For more information, please visit www.cyient.com
Follow news about the company at @Cyient