Vecima Networks hailed what it claimed was the first trial to prove Remote MAC-PHY nodes can be controlled from the public cloud, noting the setup opens the door for cable operators to benefit from more cloud services.
The proof-of-concept test was conducted alongside regional U.S. operator Bluepeak and cloud giant Amazon Web Services (AWS). One of Vecima’s Remote MAC-PHY nodes was deployed in Bluepeak’s network and connected to Vecima’s Entra Access Controller running remotely on AWS’ Elastic Compute Cloud. This arrangement left DOCSIS Media Access Control (MAC) in the node while shifting the control and management planes to the cloud.
Vecima COO Clay McCreery told Fierce there was about 1,000 miles between the location of Bluepeak’s nod in South Dakota and AWS’ private cloud point of presence in Ohio, which he noted was “much further than a [traditional] CMTS could ever be away from a node for sure.”
While only one Remote MAC-PHY node was used in the proof-of-concept, McCreery said there’s no limit on the number of nodes that could be controlled from the cloud. He added Vecima’s controller also works with its remote optical line terminal (OLT), meaning operators could use the same system to manage both their cable and fiber deployments.
McCreery highlighted the trial as a “meaningful step” for an industry which has been slower to adopt cloud-native principals and said it’s already seeing a lot of engagement from customers.
“It’s all production hardware and software,” he said. “Everything works today. This isn’t some lab thing that we set up that may or may not see the production light of day. It’s all real.”
RELATED: Charter hits 8.5 Gbps in DOCSIS 4.0 test with Vecima
Remote MAC-PHY is one of two main approaches to distributed access architecture (DAA), the other being Remote PHY. Both are designed to move key functions out of the headend and closer to customers at the edge of a hybrid fiber coaxial network.
Dell’Oro Group VP of Broadband Access and Home Networking Jeff Heynen said the ability to shift the DAA controller to the public cloud is significant for a number of reasons. For smaller operators, “it is important because they don’t have data centers and data lakes and the type of infrastructure and support that a Tier 1 has, but they want the same types of analytics capabilities, machine learning and automation functions that those operators get.” While that wasn’t a possibility before with a closed CMTS, the public cloud offers them the opportunity to tap into such features.
It also benefits larger operators by providing the flexibility to “offload some of these workloads into the public cloud where it might be more efficient to do those workloads and might be more cost effective,” he added.
For its part, AWS seems eager for the chance to pitch its range cloud services to operators.
“Migrating critical elements of modern cable access networks onto AWS enables cable operators to securely and confidently scale their converged networks at a high velocity, with lower costs,” Sameer Vuyyuru, director and head of Worldwide Telecommunications Business Development at AWS, stated. “This proof-of-concept sets the stage for further innovation in cable, leveraging AWS Outposts, AWS AI and ML, data lakes, IoT and broadband management technologies.”
In terms of the adoption outlook for cloud-based DAA, Heynen said there is a clear benefit for smaller operators but noted it will ultimately come down to whether an ISP perceives the public cloud as a partner or a competitor.