ETSI TS 103 311-2 is part of a series of specifications that defines the fourth generation of high-speed
data-over-cable systems, commonly referred to as the DOCSIS 3.1 specifications. The present document was developed
for the benefit of the cable industry, and includes contributions by operators and vendors from North and South
America, Europe and Asia.This generation of the DOCSIS specifications builds upon the previous generations of DOCSIS specifications
(commonly referred to as the DOCSIS 3.0 and earlier specifications), leveraging the existing Media Access Control
(MAC) and Physical (PHY) layers, but with the addition of a new PHY layer designed to improve spectral efficiency
and provide better scaling for larger bandwidths (and appropriate updates to the MAC and management layers to
support the new PHY layer). It includes backward compatibility for the existing PHY layers in order to enable a
seamless migration to the new technology.There are differences in the cable spectrum planning practices adopted for different networks in the world. For the new
PHY layer defined in the present document, there is flexibility to deploy the technology in any spectrum plan; therefore,
no special accommodation for different regions of the world is required for this new PHY layer.However, due to the inclusion of the DOCSIS 3.0 PHY layers for backward compatibility purposes, there is still a need
for different region-specific physical layer technologies. Therefore, three options for physical layer technologies are
included in the present document, which have equal priority and are not required to be interoperable. One technology
option is based on the downstream channel identification plan that is deployed in North America using 6 MHz spacing.
The second technology option is based on the corresponding European multi-program television distribution. The third
technology option is based on the corresponding Chinese multi-program television distribution. All three options have
the same status, notwithstanding that the document structure does not reflect this equal priority. The first of these
options is defined in clauses 5 and 6, whereas the second is defined by replacing the content of those sections with the
content of Annex C. The third is defined by replacing the content of those sections with the content of Annex D.
Correspondingly, [18] and [2] apply only to the first option, and [8] apply to the second and third. Compliance with the
present document requires compliance with one of these implementations, but not with all three. It is not required that
equipment built to one option shall interoperate with equipment built to the other.Compliance with frequency planning and EMC requirements is not covered by the present document and remains the
operators' responsibility. In this respect, [14] and [15] are relevant to the USA; [1] and [i.5] to Canada; [7], [9], [10],
[11], [12] and [13] are relevant to the European Union; [16] and [i.4] are relevant to China.The present document defines the interface for the physical layer, and corresponds to the CableLabs specification [i.8].