The architecture of the cable networks is usually of the HFC (Hybrid Coaxial Fiber) type, so that the optical fiber and the coaxial cable are combined, which is used in the last section of connection with the user. Cable networks were originally designed for the broadcast of television services but have now evolved to provide Internet access services as well.
The cable modem is a user terminal that allows the provision of broadband services over the cable networks. DOCSIS is the standard used by these devices for data transmission over cable networks. Theoretical download speeds of up to 1.6 Gbit/s can be achieved under ideal conditions using the DOCSIS 3.0 standard, although marketed speeds may be lower.
The future evolutions of the standard (DOCSIS 3.1) will allow theoretical download speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s, however, it should be noted that the values indicated correspond to theoretical maximums and that the actual download speeds do not usually reach these maximum levels.