Overview
Proactive network maintenance (PNM) has been a cornerstone in detecting and locating faults in cable and plant infrastructure since 2009. Despite its long history, the deployment of downstream (DS) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and upstream (US) orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) technologies bring revolutionary enhancements over legacy single carrier quadrature amplitude modulation (SC-QAM) channels which use 24-tap pre-equalizers (Pre-EQ) in the upstream. The introduction of 25 kilohertz (kHz) and 50 kHz subcarrier spacing, along with a significantly wider channel width and higher sample rates, dramatically improves resolution and sensitivity. This advancement enables the precise location of damaged cable faults to within just a few feet.
