Sugar Land, Texas – September 24, 2026 -- Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) will showcase a live 3.0GHz proof-of-concept demo at next week's SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta, pushing cable network capacity planning beyond the industry's current DOCSIS 4.0 target of 1.8GHz.
The demo, called Quantum30, runs at booth H1448 during the event from September 29 to October 2 and demonstrates live downstream operation at 3.0GHz over a coaxial plant using a concept amplifier, SC-QAMs, OFDM channels, and a 3.0GHz DOCSIS signal generator.
AOI publishes white paper mapping engineering constraints for 3.0GHz migration
The company released a companion white paper, "Beyond 1.8 GHz: Evaluating Paths to 3.0 GHz HFC Networks," outlining a three-part decision framework covering engineering constraints, engineering responses, and operational and economic considerations for operators. The paper identifies higher cable attenuation, increased power and thermal demands, tighter mechanical tolerances, and signal integrity challenges as core hurdles at the higher frequency.
It also reviews four emerging amplifier architectures under industry consideration: high-TCP wideband, low-TCP/distributed gain, split-band and channelized, and hybrid analog/digital approaches. AOI's guidance calls for designing for flexibility and modernizing outside plant infrastructure strategically, while planning for spectrum needs beyond 3.0GHz.
AOI positions Quantum30 as extension of its existing Quantum18 product line
The Quantum30 hardware builds on the engineering foundation AOI established for its Quantum18 Quantum Bandwidth product family, the company said.
Corey Chapman, Senior Director of Product Management for AOI's Broadband Access Business Unit, said engineering decisions for spectrum beyond 1.8GHz need to start now, before any 3.0GHz standard is finalized. He said the demo is meant to show customers working hardware, collect their feedback, and feed AOI's findings into the standards process.
AOI has also released a podcast episode, "The Layer 1 Lounge," in which Chapman discusses planning timelines, amplifier architecture evolution, and outside plant constraints tied to the 3.0GHz transition.