White Paper

Cisco CRS-1, Cisco 7600 Series Routers, and the Cisco IP

Next-Generation Network: A Winning Combination for
Cable Networks
Abstract
In the last decade, cable operators have transformed themselves from broadcast video content
distributors to broadband service providers offering high-speed data, digital voice, broadcast video,
and video-on-demand (VoD) services. High-speed data customers are consuming more bandwidth
than ever, and voice-over-IP (VoIP) customers demand the same quality levels they get from their
phone companies. While trying to keep up with demand, cable operators are seeking to, wherever
possible, minimize capital and operational expenses and maximize return on investment. This is
accomplished by using previous equipment expenditures and making sure that any future capitol
expenditure will enable maximum return on investment.
Meanwhile, a consumer transformation is under way. Consumers want access to all types of
content on PCs, TVs, cell phones, and other mobile devices. The ability to offer any service on any
device at any time represents a strong competitive advantage. To help consumers realize the
conveniences and flexibility of the connected life, cable operators must transform themselves into
experience providers. Increasingly, they will be evaluated by customers based on the quality of
experience (QoE) they provide. Constant and rapid innovation is required to provide these
differentiated products and services for consumer and business customers.

The Cisco Cable IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture utilizes technology and
innovation to enable the transition from a broadband service provider to an experience provider.
The Cisco IP NGN unifies separate network, service, and application layers of the network over a
single, converged IP infrastructure. The Cisco Carrier Routing System 1 (CRS-1) and Cisco 7600
Series Routers are specifically designed and tested to work together, supporting the needs of the
converged IP NGN. This paper explores the network design requirements that emerge as a result
of these new trends and how the Cisco CRS-1 in the core and Cisco 7600 Series Routers in the
regional network are designed to meet these stringent requirements.

Overview
Network requirements are changing at a tremendous pace, with the major trend toward network
convergence. In the past, separate parallel networks were deployed for video, data, and voice.
This was primarily because of the specific network requirements necessary for effective service
delivery for each service. Now, to increase efficiency and reduce capital and operational
expenditures, converged networks for video, voice, and data are being preferred.
Advanced network technologies are also pushing significant changes in core network
architectures, making this convergence possible. In the past, SONET/SDH was the transport
technology of choice for cable, utilizing protected time-division multiplexing (TDM) circuits to
connect multiple locations. As network service demands and service opportunities have grown,
cable operators have shifted to more efficient and flexible technologies, such as IP, as a better
way to support those demands and opportunities. Additionally, bandwidth limitations from
SONET/SDH technologies are resolved by advances in dense wave-division multiplexing (DWDM)
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technologies. The convergence of IP and DWDM technologies results in dramatic improvements in

network efficiency and service flexibility, coupled with massive bandwidth capacity.
In the past, services were divided into silos. Video was delivered to the television, Web service
was delivered to the PC, and voice service was delivered to the telephone. Now subscribers are
demanding the connected life, with many services to many screens. Consumers want the freedom
to use services anywhere, anytime, and on any device they choose. Furthermore, in todays
competitive environment, cable operators must continue to increase their service delivery speed to
compete effectively.
For cable operators, distributing content over existing infrastructures from headend to subscriber is
quickly changing, because it cannot scale to meet growing requirements. With the emergence of
new and expanded sources of content, cable operators must adapt their network architectures to
support the additional bandwidth. Unicast VoD sources, because of their one-to-one nature, are
using more bandwidth in the regional networks. Niche content sourced from the Internet is both
growing more popular and increasing in quality, further adding to bandwidth requirements.
The Cisco IP NGN offers a better alternative: network convergence. A converged packet
infrastructure lets cable operators consolidate multiple network services onto one common core
using Cisco IP Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) and multiservice edge routers that deliver
Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPN services. Data, voice, video, and mobile services can run with great
flexibility and efficiency over this core network. Operational and capital costs are greatly reduced
because multiple core infrastructures are replaced with one.

Challenge
The IP NGN must accommodate the increase of bandwidth requirements for video, voice, and
high-speed data. It must be flexible enough to allow and meter new content sources. To be
affordable for cable operators, the IP NGN architecture must also use existing infrastructure.
Other requirements cable operators expect from an IP NGN include:

The need to speed service delivery

Reduction of capital and operational costs through convergence over a single IP network

Scalability

Resilience

Interoperability

High quality of service (QoS) (for example, low packet loss, latency, and jitter) for voice,
video, and data services

Best QoE based on use of redundant mechanisms to prevent unscheduled service outages
and proactive monitoring of video and audio quality to help ensure the best possible
experience

Solution
Growing the Network Core: Cisco Carrier Routing System
Video services are pushing tremendous increases in bandwidth requirements in cable networks
today, and there appears to be no end in sight. This creates difficult challenges for network
architects designing networks to accommodate future growth. In the past, long-term planning had
to include allowances for significant architectural changes in the network core. As changing traffic
patterns and network growth push core routers to the limits of their capabilities, simply adding
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additional routers does not solve the problem. Architectural changes often require an expensive
and very disruptive upgrade or replacement of existing core routing systems.
The promise of increased operational efficiency is a major reason for moving to a converged IP
NGN infrastructure. But increasing operational efficiency is about more than just reducing
operational expenses (OpEx) and capital expenditures (CapEx). An efficient, converged
infrastructure also enables cable operators to roll out new services more quickly, thereby
increasing revenues and margins. True operational efficiency requires a highly flexible network
that can grow and deliver new services over time.
The ideal long-term solution is a network core, capable of growing and adapting to changing
network needs, in a nondisruptive way. This was one of the primary design criteria for the
development of the Cisco CRS-1 (Figure 1). The Cisco CRS-1 is powered by Cisco IOS XR
Software, a unique operating system designed for always-on operation. Cisco IOS XR Software
utilizes a modular, distributed microkernel with tremendous scalability in a multichassis
environment. Cards are interchangeable between chassis, and chassis are available in four-,
eight-, or 16-slot versions. Multishelf system configurations can support up to 72 16-slot line-card
shelves, scaling system capacity up to 92 Tbps.
Figure 1.

The Cisco Carrier Routing System 1 (CRS-1)

Because downtime must be avoided and minimized, Cisco CRS-1 routers are designed with
mechanisms to support planned maintenance, including in-service software and hardware
upgrades, all without affecting the traffic on the routing system, its peers, or the end customer.
Superpower the Regional Network: Cisco 7600 Series Routers
Cisco 7600 Series Routers offer integrated, high-density Ethernet switching, carrier-class IP/MPLS
routing, and 10 Gbps interfaces. Video and multicast admission control capabilities in Cisco 7600
Series Routers provide superior end-to-end admission control for broadcast TV and VoD.

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Figure 2 shows the Cisco 7609 Router, one of the Cisco 7600 Series Routers.
Figure 2.

.Cisco 7609 Router

Cisco 7600 Series Routers are also highly scalable. They can scale both Layer 2 and Layer 3
routing technologies both on a single platform and on a single port, which is critical for delivering
residential and business services over a converged infrastructure. Designed to meet growing
customer bandwidth needs in the regional network, Cisco 7600 Series Routers have
interchangeable cards and availability in four-, six-, nine-, and 13-slot chassis. This versatile
platform offers many high-performance features and supports a range of multiservice network
applications. The interfaces support from T1 and E1 up to 10 Gbps Ethernet and OC 192.
Cisco IP NGN Architecture for Cable Operators
Figure 3 shows the Cisco IP NGN end-to-end cable architecture for distribution and delivery of
video, voice, and high-speed data. The network can utilize national and regional headends for
video distribution. The Cisco CRS-1 core router directs traffic across an optical backbone and
supports ITU standard DWDM interfaces for direct interconnection with DWDM networks. In
addition to IP core applications, the Cisco CRS-1 can act as a transitional network element
between the network core and regional IP networks, supporting delivery to the multiservice edge
devices there.
Figure 3.

Cisco Cable IP NGN Architecture

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The regional headend includes the Digital Content Manager (DCM), which converts and grooms
single program satellite and terrestrial video feeds into multiprogram transport streams (MPTS).
The DCM also performs digital program insertion or ad splicing of local ad content. The digital
network control system (DNCS) in the headend communicates with set-top boxes (STBs)
throughout the region and updates their program guides. Content distribution system (CDS) vaults
in the headend manage and distribute video content through the network, which can then be
delivered, directly or using CDS streamers, at various hub locations.
Cisco 7600 Series Routers are typically used in the regional area network, though the Cisco CRS1 may also be used in the regional network in some cases. Cisco 7600 Series Routers in regional
networks are used as multiservice edge devices to interconnect various network elements across
the regional network and in hub locations. Hub locations support delivery to the consumer and
contain cable modem termination systems (CMTSs)such as the Cisco uBR10012 Universal
Broadband Router and Cisco uBR7246VXR Universal Broadband Routerfor data and video
delivery to the PC, and quadrature amplitude modulators (QAMs) for traditional video delivery, both
of which deliver service to the consumer using the hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network.
Adding Optical to Reduce Costs and Enhance Efficiency: Cisco IP over DWDM Architecture
IP over DWDM (IPoDWDM) is a Cisco innovation that is leading to CapEx and OpEx reductions in
cable networks. Cisco IPoDWDM incorporates optical transponder capabilities directly into
backbone and regional routers. With router interfaces utilizing International Telecommunications
Union (ITU)-standard DWDM wavelengths, the optical outputs can be terminated directly onto a
DWDM multiplexer, eliminating the need for transponders in the optical transport device. This
architecture reduces cost and physical space requirements while at the same time simplifying
troubleshooting and reducing network complexity. It also improves network performance by
relocating protection switching decisions into intelligent, configurable, Layer 3 devices
IPoDWDM requirements are different in a backbone network as compared to a regional network,
because backbone networks typically cover much longer distances than regional networks. The
Cisco CRS-1 incorporates G.709 Generic Forward Error Correction (GFEC) and Enhanced
Forward Error Correction (EFEC) to enable transmission of 1000 kilometers or more, as required
in the backbone. G.709 Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) functionality is also
supported. Tunable optics help ensure that Cisco CRS-1 optics can be reconfigured in the field,
increasing versatility and simplifying deployment.
The Cisco 7600 Series supports IPoDWDM in the regional network, but because regional networks
are typically shorter distances than backbone networks, the Cisco 7600 Series optics do not
incorporate GFEC or EFEC, which reduces costs, and support distances up to 200 kilometers.
Various optical service modules are available for the Cisco 7600 Series.
Video and High-Performance IP Multicast
Broadcast video services are inherently one-to-many, and a perfect fit for multicasting. IP
multicasting is a well-established, bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces traffic by allowing
a host to send packets to a subset of all hosts as a group transmission, instead of having to send
separate packets to every individual user, significantly reducing traffic (bandwidth usage) on the
network. Each standard definition video channel typically uses 3.5 to 4.0 Mbps, and each highdefinition channel uses 10 to 15 Mbps using Moving Pictures Expert Group standard 2 (MPEG-2),
a compression scheme for full motion video. With a 275 channel line-up, video programming can

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easily consume more than 1 Gbps of bandwidth. Cisco IP multicast is a primary technology for
maximizing efficiency in the cable network.
High-performance multicast that can support the stringent requirements of video requires a Layer 3
architecture specifically designed for high multicast performance. The Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco
7600 Series provide support for these and other multicast requirements. Important multicast
features include:
Fast Multicast Reconvergence

In an IP network, a change in the IP topology may result in temporary service impairment

as the network reconverges. Cisco routers have optimized Protocol Independent Multicast
(PIM) configuration parameters to minimize this effect.

Source-Specific Multicast

Traditional multicast is called Any Source Multicast (ASM) because clients joining an ASM
video stream specify only the multicast group and not the source. A rendezvous point (RP)
is a router designated to act as an intermediary between source and destination. Without
careful design, the RP can become a bottleneck or a single point of failure.

With Source-Specific Multicast (SSM), the multicast clients specify both the multicast group
they want to join and the source IP address of the sender. This eliminates the need for the
RP. It also improves security over the ASM model, where any IP device on the network can
source multicast traffic for a multicast group and access control lists (ACLs).

One challenge with migrating from the traditional ASM model to SSM is in managing the transition,
since many devices still do not support SSM. Cisco 7600 Series Routers incorporate a mapping
feature allowing non-SSM-enabled devices to connect to an SSM network.
Multicast Troubleshooting

Because a single source transmits to multiple destinations, troubleshooting multicast

networks is more challenging than troubleshooting unicast networks. Cisco routers have a
full suite of multicast troubleshooting tools, including Mtrace (which displays trace
information for a multicast path from a source to a receiver) and MSTAT (which shows the
multicast path in ASCII graphic format) on the routers themselves, as well as the Cisco
Multicast Manager application, to simplify multicast troubleshooting procedures.

Transparent IPv6 Integration

32

Using a 32-bit IP address space, IP Version 4 (IPv4) supports almost 4.3 billion (2 ) IP addresses.
While this 32-bit address architecture has been sufficient since the inception of the Internet, the
rapidly growing number of IP connected devices mean that IPv4 will quickly reach its limits.
Network Address Translation (NAT), a technology that effectives hides private IP addresses
behind a single Internet-visible IP address, has helped to extend the life of IPv4, but NAT also
causes problems with many applications and only delays the inevitable IPv4 IP address
exhaustion.
IPv6 uses a 128-bit address space, meaning 2

128

, resulting in a truly staggering number of IP

addresses, providing an effective, long-term solution. With the rapidly increasing number of IP
addressable devices (digital set-top boxes, PCs, and VoIP phones), cable operators must develop

a migration strategy to IPv6. The recently ratified DOCSIS 3.0 specification includes IPv6 as a
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mandatory component and some cable operators have already begun the transition to IPv6 in their
networks.
Cisco has been a pioneer in IPv6 routing technology since its inception. As a result, the Cisco
CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers each have a full suite of IPv6 routing and forwarding
capabilities today, while many other products in the industry will require costly hardware upgrades
for IPv6 support. The Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series provide full wire-speed IPv6 forwarding,
IPv6 access control lists that do not affect performance, and a full suite of IPv6 protocols, from
IPv6 neighbor discovery, Routing Information Protocol Next Generation (RIPng), Internet Control
Message Protocol Version 6 (ICMPv6), and IP Security (IPsec).
End-to-End Integrated, Proven Solutions
Cisco recognizes the complex nature of todays cable networks and the challenges facing cable
operators with accelerated service deployment schedules, multiservice delivery, and increased
operational complexity. It is with that understanding that Cisco develops complete solutions
encompassing network design, deployment, and operation. In addition to the development process
for hardware and software products, Cisco has fully staffed test labs where complete, end-to-end
network solutions are interconnected across multiple platforms, with a focus on interoperability and
quality service delivery. These solutions are subject to full design, prototyping, implementation,
and testing cycles to help ensure that each solution is verifiable and works as designed. The
benefits include a dramatic reduction in deployment time, testing requirements, and frustration for
the cable operator. Cisco solutions are truly end-to-end and support service delivery from the
content provider all the way to the TV, PC screen, or phone inside the home.
Cisco also tests interoperability with many third-party products that might be deployed side-by-side
with Cisco products in the network. Many cable products were designed initially for deployment in
non-IP, video-only networks, and interoperability testing dramatically reduces the possibility of
hitting roadblocks during roll-out in the operators network.
The Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers form the foundation for the cable IP NGN, and
the underpinning for all cable solutions. They are not only scale tested as part of a cable network,
they are also physically interconnected across DWDM transport networks and tested in
conjunction with CMTSs, groomers, ad splicers, DNCSs, QAMs, and other cable network
components. This means that video, voice, and data applications delivered over this common
infrastructure can be tuned specifically to the needs of the cable operators.
Because Cisco offers a complete portfolio of cable products, knowledge gained through these
solutions test efforts can be fed back into product and technology research and development,
enabling consistent improvement in product quality and features. Vendors selling point products
are not able to provide this tremendous value-add to cable operators.
Management and Operation Tools
Cisco management and operations tools deliver comprehensive management features, and
support a wide variety of cable products and technologies, including:

Cisco Broadband Access Center (BAC) and Cisco Network Registrar are heavily deployed
at major cable operators worldwide for device and policy management. BAC provisions
DOCSIS modems, among many of its capabilities. Cisco Network Registrar provides highly
scalable and reliable Domain Name Service (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

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(DHCP), and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) services to enable efficient provisioning
of network devices and services.

Cisco Multicast Manager simplifies multicast provisioning and multicast troubleshooting.

Cisco IP Solution Center is used for IP and MPLS provisioning. MPLS is commonly used in
cable networks for the provisioning of business services, and IP Solution Center is
commonly deployed.

Scientific Atlanta ROSA provides video management and management of video network
elements.

Helping Ensure a High Quality of Experience

Previous sections have outlined the scaling, efficiency, and solution benefits of Cisco CRS-1 and
Cisco 7600 Series Routers. But for cable subscribers, it is all about the end user experience.
There are several aspects involved in providing this high QoE, and their consideration helps
ensure better customer satisfaction and retention.
One important requirement to helping ensure a high QoE is consistent, high availability. Any
service outage, particularly one occurring during a subscribers favorite television show, is a sure
recipe for customer dissatisfaction. The one-to-many nature of broadcast video means that a
single service outage can potentially affect millions of customers.
Stateful Switchover
At the infrastructure level, Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers are each built for very high
reliability. They have fully passive backplanes, redundant power supplies, and redundant control
and switching. They also employ sophisticated techniques to minimize or eliminate packet drops in
the event of a switchover between primary and redundant control systems. This is accomplished
using stateful switchover (SSO), a feature in Cisco IOS Software. With SSO, the control and
switching state are continuously maintained between primary and secondary control complexes.
This enables in-service software upgrades and nonstop forwarding, since state does not need to
be relearned following a failover.
Failover and Redundancy
The Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series designs also incorporate sophisticated features to protect
against the effects of network failures (for example, fiber cuts or other link failures). Video delivery
solutions utilize redundancy at the headend (the video content source) and path diversity
between destinations, helping ensure uninterrupted video delivery in the event of a headend failure
or path failure. Anycast mechanisms (for example, where the same IP address is used across
multiple devices providing the same service, such as a rendezvous point) also help ensure that the
network automatically detects a device failure. Bidirectional Forwarding Detection Protocol (BFDP)
helps ensure that failures are detected as quickly as possible and that the service can then be
sourced from a backup. Routing protocols can also be configured for fast reconvergence by
adjusting Hello timers and other routing protocol parameters.
Service Separation
In the core the Cisco CRS-1 can be configured with service separation, a feature enabling the
configuration of separate secure domain routers (SDRs) within the same chassis. Unlike traditional
virtual routers that separate forwarding but utilize the same control plane resources, Cisco CRS-1
SDRs separate both the forwarding plane and control plane resources. As a result, conditions
affecting service in one SDR do not affect services in the other SDR. In contrast, a denial of

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service attack or other network issue on a traditional virtual router can bring down all services.
Service separation is an excellent method of protecting services and maintaining QoE while at the
same time gaining the benefits of a converged infrastructure. Complementing QoS functionality on
the Cisco CRS-1, the service separation capability is used to guarantee service level agreements
(SLAs) by separating services and helping ensure that the nonguaranteed services can in no way
affect those services with guaranteed SLAs.
End-to-End QoS
QoS is an essential element for helping ensure that the stringent packet loss, jitter, and latency
requirements of voice and video traffic are met. The most widely used QoS model is the DiffServ
model. DiffServ makes use of a six-bit DiffServ codepoint in every IP packet, indicating the
priority of the packet. When a packet enters a routed network, the ingress router is responsible for
classifying the packet priority, based on protocol, IP address, service type, incoming physical port,
or other parameter. The packet is then marked with a DiffServ codepoint, which is interpreted by
other routers to enable appropriate quality treatment, based on priority.
In cable networks, Cisco 7600 Series Routerswhich typically sit on the network edgeare
responsible for classifying incoming traffic and marking the DiffServ codepoint. Cisco 7600 Series
Routers use advanced ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) to help ensure that
forwarding performance is not impacted, regardless of the number of classification rules that are
configured in the router. This is critical, since any slowdown in performance can result in
congestion, packet drops, and increased latency.
Connection Admission Control
Also incorporated in the Cisco 7600 Series is sophisticated connection admission control (CAC)
functionality for both unicast (as in VoD) and multicast (as in a targeted broadcast) services. In a
cable network, CAC is important for helping ensure that individual video streams do not exceed the
available network bandwidth. If this happens, all sessions may become unusable because of
congestion and packet loss. Such CAC functions can be invaluable, particularly during times of
reduced network capacity because of high network utilization or because of a network equipment
or signal path failure.
Traffic Prioritization
Both the Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series have sophisticated classification capabilities that
help ensure line-rate performance for cases where the Cisco CRS-1 is used as a Metro network
router. In the backbone, however, the Cisco CRS-1 will typically set up queues based on the
DiffServ codepoint marking that has been set by other routers at the network edge. The Cisco
CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series incorporate thousands of ingress and egress queues, allowing
cable operators to configure QoS per-service, per-subscriber, which is particularly important for the
support of business services. A three-level hierarchy for shaping and policing is also available.
Prioritizing traffic appropriately based on QoS settings sounds simple, but it is not. Inside a router,
there are many paths packets can follow from ingress to egress, depending on type of traffic,
priority, and so on. There are also many places that congestion can occur, such as on the ingress
line card, across the fabric, on the egress line card, or in the control complex.
Some routers are designed without any QoS across the switching fabric, but if QoS is not enforced
in any one location, some condition may occur that result in congestion, packet loss, and
increased latency. Both the Cisco CRS-1 and the Cisco 7600 Series enforce QoS in all parts of the

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forwarding path, including across the fabric, thus helping ensure QoS for all traffic types and traffic
patterns.
Helping Ensure Consistent Video Quality with the Media Delivery Index
One of the challenging aspects in helping ensure video quality is determining an objective
measure of good video quality versus bad video quality. I know it when I see it isnt good enough.
Cable operators need the ability to objectively and consistently measure the quality of a large
number of video streams in real time. Another challenge is troubleshooting multicast video
streams, which are transported from a single source to multiple destinations by multiple paths.
Cisco has collaborated with Ineoquest to build a system called Flowtrace that addresses both of
these problems. Flowtrace provides an objective measurement of video quality using the Media
Delivery Index (MDI), a measure first proposed by Ineoquest for this very purpose. The idea is to
examine a video stream and use packet loss, delay, and jitter measurements to calculate an MDI
value that correlates well with subjective viewer impressions of video quality. If MDI falls below a
defined threshold, it indicates poor video quality and a situation that needs to be corrected.
Flowtrace makes use of MDI to provide monitoring and allow rapid troubleshooting of video
streams in cable networks. If a video quality issue is experienced at some point in the network, a
low MDI indication from an Ineoquest device can detect that problem. An Mtrace, which as
previously mentioned is a troubleshooting command used to trace a multicast stream back to its
source, is then used to trace the video streams entire path. Ineoquest monitoring devices along
that path then send information about the video stream being analyzed and calculate MDI for that
stream. MDI is calculated at multiple points along the signal path, indicating exactly where in that
path the signal begins experiencing degradation. Once identified, the problem can then be easily
corrected.

Conclusion
While many vendors offer point products for particular network functionality, Cisco offers a
complete portfolio of best-in-class cable products, with extensively tested, complete end-to-end
network solutions. The Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers, part of the Cisco IP NGN
solution, enable unified service delivery over a single, converged IP infrastructure. This converged
IP infrastructure is crucial to significant reductions in capital and operational expenses. For cable
operators it means not only less equipment to buy and install but also less equipment to maintain.
Additionally, because of the tremendous scalability possible with Cisco platforms and
technologies, cable operators benefit from much more flexibility in network design and can enjoy a
lower total cost of ownership for the network.
Perhaps even more compelling than the cost savings are improved network reliability and control,
enabled by both advanced feature sets and simplified network design. New service deployment
schedules can be accelerated because no new, parallel networks need to be installed to support
those services. Network operations can focus on fine tuning the network instead of learning how to
utilize additional equipment and operating systems.
Primary benefits of the Cisco IP NGN for cable operators include:

Best-in-class core and edge solutions based on open standards, enabling enhanced
network capabilities and easier integration into existing networks

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Scalable network elements in both the core and edge, eliminating stranded assets and
costs related to network growth and unpredictable traffic patterns, enabling future network
development in a non-disruptive way

Core routers that perform multicast replication within the actual fabric, enabling more
efficient scaling of IP video services

Industry leading innovations, such as IPoDWDM, leading to lower CapEx, lower OpEx, and
improved network performance

Consistently high QoE through utilization of industry-leading QoS features and innovative
new ideas, such as the MDI

Accelerated deployment schedules using the complete solution architectures designed,

interconnected, configured, and tested inside Cisco and Scientific Atlanta solution labs

Future-proof network elements able to address tomorrows necessities today, with features
like SDR and transparent IPv6 integration

As cable operators continue to grow their networks, subscriber base, and revenue through
deploying new services, they can rely on Cisco as both a vendor and a partner to provide
complete, cost-effective, and scalable solutions to reliably grow their cable businesses, and meet
increasing subscriber demands for triple play and blended multimedia services.
Cisco cable IP NGN transport solutions are important enablers for the connected life desired by
residential and business subscribers who expect a high QoE and access to services anywhere,
anytime, and from any device. The Cisco CRS-1 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers together bring
innovative new features and efficiencies to cable operators to help them transform themselves into
competitive experience providers who can fulfill customer demands for quality services and
support while reducing the overall cost of network ownership and launching lucrative new services.

For More Information

IP Next-Generation Networks for Cable Operators
http://www.cisco.com/go/cable
Cisco Cable IP NGN Transport Solutions
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns712/networking_solutions_solution_category.html
Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System
http://www.cisco.com/go/crs
Cisco 7600 Series Routing System
http://www.cisco.com/go/7600
Cisco Cable Video Networking Solutions
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns457/networking_solutions_solution_category.html

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Printed in USA

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