Onsight Data

Canadian cable operator Shaw announced a few short weeks ago that it would be launching a new 100-Mbps speed tier using DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding.  Shortly after that, Motorola claimed the success of its TX32 downstream module for channel bonding with a milestone release counting 1,000 modules sold. Here we are later in the same month, and the two news items are finally joined together with the announcement that Shaw is using Motorola's DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem termination systems (CMTS) - including the TX32 cards - and D3 cable modems for its 100-Mbps deployments.

Details of the new Shaw speed tier include the fact that it runs $269.95 (Canadian dollars) per month alone or $249.95 when bundled with another Shaw service. It's also subject to a 200 GB consumption cap, more generous than most, but behind Comcast with its 250 GB ceiling.

Shaw isn't the first cable operator to break the 100-Mbps barrier, but it is (applause please) the first one in North America. Amazingly, it doesn't appear that DOCSIS 3.0 deployments have slowed in keeping with the rest of the economy's laggardly nature. Hard to know if deployments will keep pace in the coming months, but for now the need for speed is winning out over financial concerns.