Cisco Ended Sales of cBR-8 Hardware
The telecommunications giant phased out its legacy cable modem termination system after over a decade on the market.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Data Centers
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Cisco concluded direct sales of its cBR-8 cable modem termination system on April 11, 2026, marking a key milestone in the company’s end-of-life process for the hardware. The platform, which launched in May 2015, is now transitioning out of service as operators pivot to alternative technologies.
Why it matters
Rising memory component costs driven by high AI data center demand have influenced how operators manage their migration away from legacy hardware. This shift forces providers to weigh the viability of virtual platforms against extending the life of their current infrastructure.
Secondary market listings for cBR-8 units are currently priced at $47,900 on eBay and $27,724.81 on CompuDevices. The platform will receive its final service contract renewals on July 10, 2030.
The players
Cisco
Cisco is a worldwide leader in IT and networking technology that provides infrastructure for the internet.
The details
Operators are currently choosing between migrating to virtualized platforms, extending the utility of their existing hardware through added capacity, or adopting passive optical networking. While the final ship date for the cBR-8 occurred on July 11, 2026, many operators may continue to operate the systems past their official end-of-life dates.
Timeline
Cisco introduced the cBR-8 to the market in May 2015.
The end-of-life process for the hardware was disclosed in April 2025.
Direct sales of the cBR-8 ceased on April 11, 2026.
The final units of the cBR-8 hardware shipped on July 11, 2026.
Operators have until July 10, 2030, to renew or extend their service contracts.
The Tech Race
The retirement of the cBR-8 system illustrates a broader industry migration from chassis-based hardware to agile, virtualized network environments. This transition reflects the growing necessity of replacing legacy systems with scalable, software-defined solutions that better handle modern traffic demands.
Operators managing these systems must now account for increased maintenance costs or plan for costly upgrades to virtual platforms. Service reliability remains a priority as providers determine whether to extend legacy support or shift to modern, optical-based network configurations.
The takeaway
Legacy hardware retirement is increasingly dictated by the competitive demand for memory components in the broader AI infrastructure market. Operators should evaluate their remaining support timelines to avoid service disruptions as the 2031 final support date approaches.
Further reading
Learn more about evolving infrastructure requirements at /tech/data-centers/.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Light Reading.
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