Cisco exec says DOCSIS 3.1 capabilities may create issues for cable operators

DOCSIS 3.1 was the talk of the town during this week's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo trade show in New Orleans, but one Cisco executive has warned the industry that its level of control adds a level of complexity that could create challenges for engineers as they adapt to the new standard.

Ron Hranac, technical leader of Cisco Systems' cable access business unit, said that there are a number "of knobs for optimizing configuration that can be turned the wrong way."

Regardless of the potential issues, Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) seem unfazed by such concerns, saying that the new DOCSIS 3.1 specification offers speed, flexibility and backwards compatibility with existing systems. FierceCable has more coverage here.