Terminology » Other Wireless » DOCSIS RF Frequency Range and Bandwidth Explained

DOCSIS RF Frequency Range and Bandwidth Explained

docsis rf frequency bandwidth cable modem cmts

This page details the DOCSIS RF frequency ranges and bandwidths used by various DOCSIS versions, specifying the frequencies and bandwidths for both downstream and upstream traffic.

What is Frequency Range and Bandwidth?

Frequency Range: The range of frequencies that a wired or wireless device can utilize to modulate baseband information and transmit it over the transport medium. This falls within the electromagnetic spectrum, from a few KHz to just below the infrared light frequency range.
Occupied Bandwidth or Channel Bandwidth: The total sum of channel frequencies used by a device, including channel spacing.

DOCSIS Frequency Range and Bandwidth for Downstream

The following table outlines the DOCSIS frequencies and bandwidths used in the downstream direction, from the CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System) to the CM (Cable Modem).

Standard Version	Frequency Range	RF Channel Spacing (Design Bandwidth)
DOCSIS 1.0/1.1	Carrier frequency: 91 to 857 MHz +/- 30KHz Downstream electrical input to CM (Cable Modem)	6 MHz
DOCSIS 2.0	Passband between lower edge and upper edge, lower edge between 50 and 54 MHz, upper edge in the range from 300 to 864 MHz	6.4 MHz
DOCSIS 3.0	108 MHz to 1 GHz	6 MHz or 8 MHz
DOCSIS 3.1	258 MHz to 1218 MHz (Initial Phase), 1794 MHz (Final Phase)	Between 24 MHz and 192 MHz
DOCSIS 4.0	• FDX (Full Duplex) : 108 to 1218 MHz • FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) : 1536 MHz of occupied downstream spectrum in the range from 54 MHz to 1794 MHz	24 to 192 MHz

DOCSIS Frequency Range and Bandwidth for Upstream

The table below details the DOCSIS frequencies and bandwidths used in the upstream direction, from the CM (Cable Modem) to the CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System).

Standard Version	Frequency Range	Channel Bandwidth
DOCSIS 1.0/1.1	5 to 42 MHz edge to edge frequency range	Upstream electrical output from CM (Cable Modem): Between 200 KHz and 3.2 MHz
DOCSIS 2.0	subsplit (5 to 30 MHz) or extended subsplit (5 to 40 or 5 to 42 MHz)	6.4 MHz
DOCSIS 3.0	5 MHz to 85 MHz	0.2 MHz to 6.4 MHz
DOCSIS 3.1	Upto 204 MHz (Maximum)	Scalable between 6.4 MHz and 96 MHz
DOCSIS 4.0	• FDX: 5 to 85 MHz and 108 to 684 MHz • FDD high-split backward compatibility: 5 MHz to 204 MHz • FDD UHS : 5 to 85 and 108 to xxx MHz, where xxx = 300, 396, 492, or 684 MHz.