With approximately 2.2M subscribers, Bright House Networks is the sixth largest multisystem cable operator (MSO) in the US. It owns major systems in Tampa Bay, Orlando, Bakersfield, Birmingham, Detroit and Indianapolis. In addition to residential cable services (video, voice and Internet), Bright House offers business services such as dedicated Internet access (up to 155 Mbps) and Metro Ethernet (up to 10 Gbps).
Bright House has a history of pioneering in the MSO world. The company is one the first to commit native Ethernet and offer Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON). Additionally, it is committed to staying on the forefront of technology and is moving to switched digital video, a move that will greatly save bandwidth for delivering video programming.
The company has seen greater demand for high bandwidth connectivity for mobile backhaul and metro Ethernet services. Demand for data from residential customers has been climbing, especially with the growing popularity of online/OTT video. As with most other residential Internet service providers, 20–30% of Bright House’s traffic is prime time traffic in OTT video, which is fueled by competition from telcos. These factors are putting pressure on the company to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 throughout its service area (with 100% coverage in Tampa and Orlando).
Bright House has long understood that an all IP network would enable it to offer higher speeds and differentiated services to residential and commercial customers and is aggressively pursuing this converged network architecture. The company has added switched digital video and EPON connections to its network upgrade plans.
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