This year is the 16th Broadband Technology Report has presented the Diamond Technology Reviews – and, clearly, it’s been a year like no other in memory. Nevertheless, the 2020 entrants to our technology recognition program illustrate that not even a pandemic can stop broadband technology innovation.
As is the case every year, we invited vendors serving the broadband cable industry are invited to submit information about products that have been released or upgraded since last year's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo (held in October 2019).
Each entry was assigned to at least three of our expert volunteer judges. To help ensure fairness, similar products from different vendors were reviewed by the same group of panelists. Judges based scores/comments on written material provided by vendors, as well as their own experience with or knowledge of the specific technologies. Review panelists were informed that scores/comments would remain anonymous.
Specifically, judges used the following scale to determine Diamond scores:
- 1-2: Not a useful product
- 3.0: Useful product, yet commodity
- 3.5: Solid product with viable attributes that set it apart
- 4.0-4.5: Excellent product with technical features and performance that provide clear and substantial benefits
- 5.0: Superb product that sets new standard for performance and/or breaks new ground
Each entry’s scores were averaged and rounded to the nearest full or half Diamond. Note that products are grouped by score (with the highest Diamonds ranking first), and then in alphabetical order.
Scores of 3.5 or above are considered superlative and reflect a very positive opinion from the panel. Only products receiving a 3.5 or above are included in this article.
The realities of the pandemic certainly influenced entries this year, which included technology to aid self-installation and remote operation and maintenance of broadband networks. But, as was the case last year, we also saw several entries applicable to 10G and related next-generation deployments. New offerings from the test and measurement arena continued to show strongly as well.
"The necessities of COVID-19 certainly put pressure on network operators to deliver enhanced broadband services," commented Broadband Technology Report Editorial Director Stephen Hardy, who again served as program director this year. “Technologies to increase network capacity, and to deploy it quickly, proved to be highlights among this year’s entries.”
As always our Diamond Technology Review judging panel proved tough but fair. “Broadband Technology Report thanks the judges for their hard work and diligence in evaluating so many entries. This year’s Diamond Technology Reviews entries indicate that cable operators continue to benefit from innovation across the network technology spectrum,” Hardy concluded.
2020 DIAMOND JUDGES PANEL
- Program Director: Stephen Hardy, Editorial Director, Broadband Technology Report
- Fuad Alnajjar, Director, Product Development and Emerging Tech, Mediacom
- Jack Burton, Principal, Broadband Success Partners
- Jeff Finkelstein, Executive Director of Advanced Access Architectures, Cox Communications
- Robert Kuse, Senior Director - Access Engineering, Cox Communications
- Mike Latino, VP, Service Infrastructure, Cox Communications
- Ken Williams, Director, HFC Evolution and Standards, WOW!
- Tom Williams, Vice President, Engineering and Technology, Schurz Communications
Active Network Hardware
Technetix Group Ltd. Direction Neutral Amplifier - 5 Diamonds
Vecima Networks Entra Access Node EN2112 - 4 Diamonds
Cisco Meraki Cisco Meraki Cellular Gateway (MG) - 3.5 Diamonds
EnerSys Energy Systems CMOA DOCSIS 3.1 Gateway - 3.5 Diamonds
Teleste Corp. ACE8 - 3.5 Diamonds
Back Office
Incognito Software Subscriber Self-Care Widgets - 4 Diamonds
IQGeo Network Manager for Telecoms - 4 Diamonds
Cabling & Accessories
CommScope RD1322 2x2 Remote PHY Device - 4 Diamonds
AFL NodeFLEX Cable Assembly - 3.5 Diamonds
CCAP Systems
CommScope CommScope Virtual Headend Portfolio - 4 Diamonds
Customer Premises Equipment
Sercomm Technology Inc. DG5000 – DOCSIS 3.1 Ethernet MoCA Gateway - 4 Diamonds
Amphenol Broadband Solutions Self Install Kits (SIK) - 3.5 Diamonds
CommScope Smart Media Device (SMD) platform 7852 - 3.5 Diamonds
Field Test Instruments
VIAVI Solutions DWDM OTDR – Wavescan - 4.5 Diamonds
AFL 90R Mass Fusion Splicing Kit - 4 Diamonds
Anritsu Co. Network Master Pro MT1040A - 4 Diamonds
VIAVI Solutions OneAdvisor-800 - 4 Diamonds
VIAVI Solutions StrataSync Test Process Automation and Analytics Suite - 4 Diamonds
Effigis IRXP Field Portable Ingress Digital Receiver - 3.5 Diamonds
FTTH/Optical Access Platforms
Ciena 10G XGS-PON - 4 Diamonds
Radisys Radisys Connect Open Broadband - 3.5 Diamonds
Monitoring & Analysis
Blue Planet, a division of Ciena Blue Planet Route Optimization and Analysis - 4 Diamonds
ProLabs ProLabs Optical Line Monitoring Platform - 4 Diamonds
VIAVI Solutions Remote Fiber Test Solutions: SmartOTU and PON Manager - 4 Diamonds
VIAVI Solutions XPERTrak 4.0 - 4 Diamonds
ZCorum TruVizion Fiber - 4 Diamonds
Interra Systems Inc. ORION With ORION Central Manager (OCM) - 3.5 Diamonds
Optical Transport/Carrier Ethernet
Ciena WaveLogic 5 Extreme - 5 Diamonds
Amphenol Broadband Solutions OSP AOM - 4 Diamonds
Electroline Equipment Inc. AQ4 - Hardened Outdoor DOCSIS 3.1 Modem and Gateway - 4 Diamonds
Video Distribution Solutions
Broadpeak S4Streaming - 4 Diamonds
Synamedia Media Edge Gateway - 3.5 Diamonds
