PacketCable

PacketCable network is a technology specification defined by the industry consortium CableLabs for using Internet Protocol (IP) networks to deliver multimedia services, such as IP telephony, conferencing, and interactive gaming on a cable television infrastructure.[1]

The PacketCable technology is based on the DOCSIS base with extensions that enable cable operators to deliver data and voice traffic efficiently using a single high-speed, quality-of-service (QoS)-enabled broadband (cable) architecture.

The PacketCable effort dates back to 1997 when cable operators identified the need for a real-time multimedia architecture to support the delivery of advanced multimedia services over the DOCSIS architecture.

The original PacketCable specifications were based on the physical network characteristics of operators in the U.S. For the European market, Cable Europe Labs, maintains a separate, but equivalent effort, EuroPacketCable, based on European network implementations.[2]

Technical overview

PacketCable interconnects three network types:

Protocols
  • DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) - standard for data over cable and details mostly the RF band
  • Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) & Real Time Control Protocol (RTCP) required for media transfer
  • PSTN Gateway Call Signaling Protocol Specification (TGCP) which is an MGCP extension for Media Gateways
  • Network-Based Call Signaling Protocol Specification (NCS) which is an MGCP extension for analog residential Media Gateways - the NCS specification, which is derived from the IETF MGCP RFC 2705, details VoIP signalling.
    • Basically the IETF version is a subset of the NCS version. The Packet Cable group has defined more messages and features than the IETF.
  • Common Open Policy Service (COPS) for Quality of Service

PacketCable voice coders

The required coders are:

In addition the specifications recommended the following:

  • ITU G.728
  • ITU G.729 Annex E

PacketCable 1.0

PacketCable 1.0 comprises eleven specifications and six technical reports which define call signaling, quality of service (QoS), codec usage, client provisioning, billing event message collection, public switched telephone network (PSTN) interconnection, and security interfaces for implement a single-zone PacketCable solution for residential Internet Protocol (IP) voice services.

PacketCable 1.5

PacketCable 1.5 contains additional capabilities over PacketCable 1.0. It superseded previous versions (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3). The standard covers 21 specifications and one technical report which together define call signaling, quality of service (QoS), coders, client provisioning, billing event message collection, PSTN interconnection, and security interfaces for implementing a single-zone or multi-zone PacketCable solution for residential Internet Protocol (IP) voice services.

PacketCable 2.0

Version 2.0 introduces IMS Release 7 IP Multimedia Subsystem into the core of the architecture. PacketCable uses a simplified IMS in some areas and enhances it in some cable-specific areas. PacketCable defined Delta specs related to the most important IMS specs from 3GPP.

Deployment

VoIP services based on the PacketCable architecture are being widely deployed by operators:

gollark: I've built (in creative mode) this really overengineered Botania mana generator. It makes TNT from water, cobblestone and horrendous amounts of RF (from a fusion reactor downstairs), and explodes a block of it every 0.6 seconds, which makes the entropinnyums (hidden behind that cable) produce mana.
gollark: Oh, RotaryCraft? Neat! I want to use it, but 1.7.10...
gollark: I don't think you can do that. It's not very easy to get a RNG's seed from observing some of its output, let alone a bunch of data vaguely based on that output.
gollark: You can also scan from orbit, I think.
gollark: They're still seemingly going to be pretty ancient though.

References
  1. http://www.cablelabs.com/specifications-library/packetcable/
  2. "EuroPacketCable". Excentis. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  3. "Servicios de Telefonia" (in Spanish). NetUno. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. "Broadband Leader". Shentel. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  5. "Fixed Telephony" (in Spanish). TeleCentro. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  6. "Residential Telephony". Videotron. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  • PacketCable 1.5 Specifications Audio/Video Codecs - PKT-SP-CODEC1.5-I01-050128
  • PacketCable 1.5 Specifications Network-Based Call Signaling Protocol - PKT-SP-NCS1.5-I01-050128
  • PSTN Gateway Call Signaling Protocol Specification - PKT-SP-TGCP1.5-I01-050128

Further reading
  • Riddel, Jeff. (2007). PacketCable Implementation. Cisco Press. 1061 pages. ISBN 1-58705-181-8.
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