By Tobias Peck, EnerSys; Scott Caruso, Gridmetrics
The Near-Future hybrid-fiber coax (HFC) network will evolve beyond being a highly efficient 10G data transport system, to a self-configuring, self-diagnosing and self-healing, neural network. With a brain powered by artificial intelligence (AI) sitting at the network core, the HFC network will have the ability to analyze unfathomable amounts of data and use yet-unknown insights to make split second decision to optimize performance and eliminate unnecessary human intervention. Yet, just as the human brain relies on the senses to provide information streamed from its environment for reflexive decisions, the nearfuture network will only be as good as its ability to stream the high-fidelity data effectively.
Broadband operators have developed the technology, tools, and systems to ensure that the radio frequency (RF) elements of the HFC network are well-instrumented leading to benefits in reliability and availability.
However, much less instrumentation has been developed for the power elements of the HFC network.
With network power being so critical for reliability and achieving energy savings, how can we enhance our understanding of power in the network and how can MSOs get maximum value out of this new sensory data?