- OpenVault says upstream broadband usage is growing roughly three times faster than downstream consumption
- The company is focused on helping operators proactively identify network impairments, reduce truck rolls and optimize capacity across both DOCSIS and fiber networks
- At SCTE TechExpo, OpenVault highlighted its network-agnostic Vantage platform and the industry's increasing need for upstream optimization
The common that spanned across SCTE TechExpo26 in Atlanta last week is that the cable industry is facing a new network challenge as upstream broadband traffic grows faster than many operators anticipated.
Speaking with Fierce Network at TechExpo 2026, OpenVault CEO and Founder Mark Trudeau. said the industry's focus has shifted from simply adding downstream capacity to ensuring networks can reliably support a growing volume of upstream activity driven by applications such as AI, content creation and social media uploads.
"Across the board, it's growing about three times as fast as downstream usage is growing at this point," Trudeau said of upstream traffic.
That trend is becoming increasingly important for cable operators as they upgrade DOCSIS networks with mid-split and high-split architectures to deliver faster upload speeds. Trudeau said operators should expect demand to rise as additional upstream capacity becomes available.
"There's still some pent-up demand there on the DOCSIS side," he said. "As operators continue to upgrade and offer faster upstream speeds, usage increases."
OpenVault has evolved alongside those industry changes. Founded in 2010, the company initially focused on broadband usage analytics and helping operators understand subscriber consumption patterns. Today, its business centers on network health, reliability and optimization.
"We are a network health-focused company," Trudeau said. "We help both DOCSIS and fiber operators keep their network healthy, reliable and optimized for capacity."
The company's platform analyzes network conditions, identifies impairments and helps operators prioritize fixes based on customer impact. Trudeau said the goal is to proactively resolve issues before subscribers notice them while reducing customer care calls and unnecessary truck rolls.
Increasing convergence between cable and fiber operations
OpenVault also sees increasing convergence between cable and fiber operations. The company recently expanded its Vantage platform with fiber capabilities, allowing operators running hybrid networks to manage both DOCSIS and fiber environments through a single tool.
"We work with all the manufacturers," Trudeau said. "Operators want one tool that works well across all the vendors they use."
That message aligns with OpenVault's recent announcement ahead of SCTE TechExpo, where the company said broadband providers need smarter tools to address rising upstream consumption and network complexity. The company positioned its Vantage suite as a way to improve quality of experience, proactively manage impairments and optimize performance across both DOCSIS and fiber networks.
Looking ahead, Trudeau believes cable operators are likely to continue maximizing the lifespan of DOCSIS networks even as fiber deployments accelerate.
"We're seeing a bit of a doubling down on DOCSIS," he said. "Because of those challenges, the supply chain challenges and all that, they're saying, let's stretch out our DOCSIS plants as long as we can get the most capacity and resiliency out of them."
For OpenVault, that creates an opportunity to help operators navigate a future where DOCSIS and fiber increasingly coexist across the same broadband networks.
Read more from SCTE TechExpo26 on Fierce Network
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