I recently talked about the top trends of 2012. Well, now it’s time for me to look into my crystal ball and predict the future.

I believe that this year we’ll see great developments when it comes to TR-069. I know you’ll say that this was a trend last year, but I’m confident that 2013 is the year that this protocol will really shine. The multiple system operators (MSOs) we work with are now recognizing the Broadband Forum TR-069 standard as the future, and I could not agree more. The Broadband Forum will finally start to certify some devices, and this could propel TR-069 into a more stable future. Testing these devices will require that device manufacturers start leveraging ACS vendors, which is likely to happen in the New Year as well.

2013 will also be the year where bandwidth monitoring tools will prove to be indispensable. These tools can leverage information provided by protocols like IPDR, SNMP, and sFLOW in order to paint a more accurate picture of what is going on deep inside your network. The next phase will be for providers to play with the data using “what-if” scenarios for splitting nodes, CMTSs, etc. Tools like this will help MSOs better plan their future.

We will also see big changes in the Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) platform. We have been hearing a lot about Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP) in the past few years, but I believe 2013 is the year we’ll see a rise in CCAP architecture deployments that will solve a number of CMTS scalability issues. Other countries are playing with the idea of mini and micro CMTSs. In China, we are looking at C-DOCSIS and SARF as three proposed standards to lower the price per port when deploying broadband Internet at home. So from the mega to the micro, CMTSs are poised for big changes this year as we all try to innovate and deliver more services for the subscriber.

These are my top trends for the year. What do you see in your crystal ball? I’m very curious to hear what you think you’ll be facing this year.