Abstract

The evolution of Cable Television systems into Cable Telecommunications networks has challenged the industry  to define system architectures that allow for the addition of new services without compromising either reliability or quality.  As the network evolves, it must be able to support highly reliable bi-directional communications, multiple information types, formats, and information transmission rates simultaneously over the same path. The network must also connect to the rest of the world through gateways to public networks and provide channel formatting to meet system compatibility standards such as SONET.  Many challenges arose through the engineering, development and implementation of the Rogers Hybrid Fiber Coax network. These include placing and activating hundreds of kilometers of fiber optic cable, increasing available bandwidth in the downstream direction, and activating the upstream bandwidth to allow for two way communications. The integration of the virtual data layer onto the physical layer fiber coax network allowed for the launch of the high speed data service Rogers@Home, and Rogers Digital Choice TV. This seminar will provide an overview of the evolution of the cablesystem network within the cable industry and discuss the implementation of the Rogers hybrid fiber coax data network.

About the Speaker:

Dean Patterson, P. Eng. received his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1987 after completing his Electronic Engineering Technology Diploma at Kwantlen College in 1985. Since then he has held various engineering and management positions with Rogers Cablesystems. He is currently the Inside Plant Engineering Manager for the BC Region and oversees the implementation of new technology platforms onto the cable distribution network. He is currently the President of the Western Society of Cable Television Engineers, and a member of the IEEE.