AOI Brings First Live Quantum30 3.0GHz Concept Demo to SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta

The white paper examines engineering choices cable operators may face if they expand network capacity beyond 1.8GHz.

Rhea-AI Summary

AOI (AAOI) plans to demonstrate its Quantum30 3.0GHz cable-network concept at SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta, September 29–October 2. The planned demonstration uses working hardware to show a downstream signal operating at 3.0GHz over coaxial cable.

AOI has also published a white paper on possible expansion beyond 1.8GHz in hybrid fiber-coaxial networks, which combine fiber and coaxial cable. It examines engineering constraints at 3.0GHz, including higher cable signal loss and increased power and heat demands. The demonstration is a proof of concept; the industry has not yet set a 3.0GHz standard.

Key Figures

Demo frequency: 3.0GHz

Demo frequency

3.0GHz

Live downstream operation over a coaxial plant in the Quantum30 proof-of-concept demo

Key Terms

catv, docsis 4.0, ofdm

3 terms

catv technical

"cable TV (CATV) industry's plans to expand network capacity"

Community antenna television (CATV), commonly called cable TV, is a wired system that delivers television programming and often broadband internet and phone services to homes and businesses through coaxial or fiber-optic cables. Investors track CATV metrics like subscriber numbers, average revenue per user and network investment because the technology and customer base determine steady service revenues, capital spending needs and how well providers compete with streaming and telecom alternatives — like a utility pipe delivering entertainment and connectivity.

docsis 4.0 technical

"deploy DOCSIS 4.0 at 1.8GHz capacity"

DOCSIS 4.0 is the latest technical standard for cable internet that enables providers to deliver much faster, more reliable and more symmetric upload and download speeds over existing coaxial networks, while reducing delays and improving security. For investors it matters because it can unlock higher-value services and customer growth without full network replacement, but also implies capital spending and competitive shifts—think of it as widening a highway to carry more, faster traffic.

ofdm technical

"OFDM channels, and a 3.0GHz DOCSIS signal generator"

Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a technical method for sending digital data by splitting a high-rate stream into many slower sub-streams, each carried on its own tightly packed frequency channel; the channels are mathematically “orthogonal” so they avoid interfering even when they overlap. It matters to investors because OFDM underpins many modern wireless and broadband standards, so its use influences product performance, network capacity, deployment costs, and potential licensing or equipment revenue.

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Company Publishes White Paper on Expanding CATV Spectrum to 3.0GHz

SUGAR LAND, Texas, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AOI (NASDAQ: AAOI), a leading provider of advanced optical and HFC networking products powering AI, today announced plans for a future-forward 3.0GHz demo at next week's SCTE TechExpo in Atlanta, September 29 – October 2, at booth H1448.

The company has also published a new whitepaper examining the cable TV (CATV) industry's plans to expand network capacity to meet bandwidth demands, titled "Beyond 1.8 GHz: Evaluating Paths to 3.0 GHz HFC Networks." 

While the cable industry is working to deploy DOCSIS 4.0 at 1.8GHz capacity, operators and suppliers are already evaluating what comes next. Extending HFC network capacity toward 3.0GHz brings increased focus to the physical plant, looking at amplifiers, power, and the overall outside plant architecture. The DOCSIS and DAA layer will need to evolve as well, to fill the spectrum when available.

As considerations are discussed for a 3.0GHz standard, AOI's proof-of-concept demo and whitepaper are intended to help the industry understand the engineering requirements the new standard will need to address.

"The cable industry is moving fast on DOCSIS 4.0 at 1.8GHz, but the engineering decisions for what comes next at 3.0GHz need to start now, well before any standard is set," said Corey Chapman, Senior Director of Product Management for AOI's Broadband Access Business Unit. "Operators have to understand what changes at these higher frequencies: the amplifier architectures, the outside plant implications, and the power demands. That's exactly why we built this demo. We want to show customers real working hardware at 3.0GHz, gather their feedback, and bring AOI's learnings into the standards process when and where it matters."

About the Quantum30 Proof-of-Concept Demo

• Demonstrates a live downstream operation at 3.0GHz over a coaxial plant, showing how the spectrum migration path continues beyond 1.8GHz.
• Consists of actual working hardware featuring a 3.0GHz concept amplifier, SC-QAMs, OFDM channels, and a 3.0GHz DOCSIS signal generator.
• Builds on the engineering foundation AOI established for its Quantum18 Quantum Bandwidth product family.

About the White Paper: Beyond 1.8 GHz: Evaluating Paths to 3.0 GHz HFC Networks

• Presents a three-part decision framework for operators evaluating spectrum expansion, including engineering constraints, engineering responses, and operational/economic considerations
• Covers key networking constraints at 3.0GHz: higher cable attenuation, increased power and thermal demands, tighter mechanical tolerances, signal integrity challenges
• Reviews emerging amplifier architectures under consideration: high-TCP wideband, low-TCP/distributed gain, split-band and channelized, and hybrid analog/digital approaches
• Concludes practical guidance: design for flexibility, modernize the outside plant strategically, and planning beyond 3.0GHz.
• Download the whitepaper here.

Learn more by listening to the Podcast: 'The Layer 1 Lounge' in the AOI Studio
Why 3.0GHz, and why now? In this episode, Corey Chapman breaks down what the shift to 3.0GHz really means, the planning timelines operators should be thinking about today, how amplifier architectures will need to evolve, and what the outside plant constraints will look like in practice.
View the Podcast here. 

Additional Resources: 

• AOI Quantum Bandwidth
• AOI HFC Amplifiers 
• QuantumLink
• AOI Newsroom
• AOI Studio

About AOI  
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) is a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced optical and HFC networking products that are the building blocks for AI datacenters, CATV and broadband fiber access networks around the world. AOI supplies this critical infrastructure to tier-one customers across cloud computing, CATV broadband, telecom, and FTTH markets. The company has R&D facilities in Atlanta, GA, and engineering and manufacturing facilities at its corporate headquarters in Sugar Land, TX, as well as in Taipei, Taiwan and Ningbo, China. For additional information, visit www.ao-inc.com. 

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SOURCE Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What amplifier designs does AOI's 3.0GHz white paper examine?

The white paper reviews high-TCP wideband, low-TCP/distributed-gain, split-band and channelized, and hybrid analog/digital amplifier approaches under consideration for 3.0GHz networks.