E6000-UCAM-2 | E6000 CER Upstream Cable Access Module (UCAM-2)

The E6000® Converged Edge Router (CER) is a next-generation CCAP™ platform that provides cable operators unprecedented advances in channel density, power efficiency, and cost savings in a redundant, integrated architecture designed from the ground up for high availability. This powerful design enables operators to converge all services (video, HSD, and voice) on a single physical connector thus creating additional savings in capital and operational expenditures along with increased operational efficiency. Operators that converge services with the E6000 CER economize rack space, powering, and cooling in their facilities. In the E6000 CER system, upstream PHY and Media Access Control (MAC) functionality are provided by the Upstream Cable Access Modules (UCAMs). The second generation UCAM (UCAM-2) provides hardware support for both DOCSIS® 3.0 single carrier QAMs (SC-QAMs) and DOCSIS 3.1 operation (OFDMA). The UCAM-2 hardware allows Operators to deploy both SC-QAMs and OFDMA on each physical port (i.e., each upstream service group); this will enable higher throughput with greater spectral efficiency while providing backward compatibility for all currently-deployed modems. The current E6000 software, Release 4.0, supports 12 SC-QAMs per upstream physical port.

The Upstream Cable Access Module 2 (UCAM-2) is the second generation line card for the E6000 CER that provides upstream RF functionality. The UCAM-2 is designed to deliver hardware support for both SC-QAMs (i.e. DOCSIS 3.0) and OFDMA (i.e. DOCSIS 3.1) on a per-connector basis. From a hardware perspective, the UCAM-2 is capable of supporting an average of 12 SC-QAMs plus two blocks of 96 MHz OFDMA on each physical port. Migration to UCAM-2 for the existing E6000 deployed base is very simple. UCAM-2 utilizes the same Upstream Physical Interface Card (UPIC) as the Gen 1 UCAM, so no disconnecting of RF cables is required during the upgrade activity.

Operators should note that beginning with Rel. 4.0, the E6000 CER no longer supports Payload Header Suppression (PHS).