This specification is part of the DOCSIS family of specifications developed by Cable Television Laboratories (CableLabs). In particular, this specification is part of a series of specifications that defines the fifth generation of high-speed data-over-cable systems, commonly referred to as the DOCSIS 3.1 specifications. This specification 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 this specification, 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 this specification, 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 Sections 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, [ITU-T J.83-B] and [CEA-542] apply only to the first option, and [EN 300 429] applies to the second and third. Compliance with this document requires compliance with one of these implementations, but not with all three. It is not required that equipment built to one option interoperate with equipment built to the other.

Compliance with frequency planning and EMC requirements is not covered by this specification and remains the operators' responsibility. In this respect, [FCC15] and [FCC76] are relevant to the USA; [CAN/CSA CISPR 22-10] and [ICES 003 Class A] to Canada; [EG 201 212], [EN 50083-1], [EN 50083-2], [EN 50083-7], [EN 61000-6-1], and [EN 61000-6-3] are relevant to the European Union; [GB 8898-2011] and [GB/T 11318.1-1996] are relevant to China.