Growing Momentum Behind Connected Home, 5G and Broadband Experience Initiatives

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Broadband Forum revealed that growing momentum around its connected home and broadband experience related projects has been the driver behind a spike in new members. This reaffirms the important role standards have to play as connected devices become more mainstream and consumers redefine what constitutes a superior broadband experience.

Since the beginning of the year, more than a dozen innovative companies have joined Broadband Forum, including Benu Networks, dot11 Labs, F-Secure, HUMAX Co Ltd, KAON Media, Metaswitch, Pico VR, Plume, Roqos Inc, SIDN, SUPPORT Robotics Limited, TQ Delta and Telecom Argentina. In addition, AEPONYX, BQ, Domos AS, Easy CWMP, Furukawa Latam, Hybrid Access Technologies, Integrated Silicon Solution Israel, Inteno (Genexis BV), Luster Teraband Photonics Co. Ltd, Predictable Network Solutions, TalkTalk Group PLC and Wistron NeWeb Corp have enrolled in the Forum in the last 12 months.

More than half of these companies have cited Broadband Forum's growing body of work in the Connected Home area as the reason behind getting involved. Published in April 2018, User Services Platform (USP)—an evolution of the TR-069 standard—is Broadband Forum's solution for service providers looking for a truly unified, common approach to securely deploy, manage and control network-aware consumer electronics, including home and enterprise Wi-Fi, the Internet of Things, and more.

Many of these companies, as well as others specializing in technologies, such as artificial intelligence, security and hybrid networks, have also taken leading roles in projects focused on enhancing and measuring the broadband experience across wireless and wireline networks. These initiatives include Broadband Quality Experience Delivered (Broadband QED) which uses Quality Attenuation to improve network and service performance, TR-398 which is breaking new ground in home Wi-Fi device performance testing, and Open Broadband Multi-Access Point (OB-MAP) which is driving deployment of intelligent Wi-Fi Mesh Networks.

"Building on its deep history in driving standards like TR-069 and TR-101—that have been the foundation for over 1 billion broadband installations worldwide—and fostering groundbreaking work in Wi-Fi and wireless/wireline convergence and performance, Broadband Forum is now playing a critical role in catalyzing the evolution of the Connected Home and defining the future broadband experience," said Geoff Burke, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Broadband Forum. "As billions of devices are added to the Connected Home ecosystem each year and the lines between wireless and wireline continue to blur, coordination and management of this ever-expanding broadband universe is essential for service providers to deliver a high-quality experience across an efficient and profitable network. With more than 20 years under its belt in shaping these broadband networks and a growing array of cutting-edge projects and initiatives, Broadband Forum is perfectly positioned to cultivate the success of the Connected Home and the future of broadband, and we are pleased to see a growing number of companies join us in this noble cause."

In addition to vendors looking to ensure that they are coordinating to build mass markets for their Connected Home products and solutions, leading carriers like Telecom Argentina are joining Broadband Forum to ensure that they have a say in influencing the Connected Home and security developments of the next era of connectivity.

"The Connected Home represents a huge opportunity for operators and service providers, and Broadband Forum provides us with a platform to impact the industry and ensure our customers' growing demands are heard," said Gabriel Carro, Director of Technology and Architecture of Networks and Services at Telecom Argentina. "Following the widespread adoption of TR-069 across the industry, we are confident that USP will become an important industry standard in the Connected Home era."

Tom Gaffney, Principal Consultant at F-Secure, said: "The explosion in connected devices brings both challenges and opportunities for us all. The challenge: how do we work together to mitigate against new vulnerabilities? The opportunity: to create new services for our customers that protect both their data and their privacy. It is the responsibility of all of us in our industry to keep our users safe. Strong collaboration is the key and organizations like Broadband Forum have the power to bring together an ecosystem that finds the right solutions."

About Broadband Forum

Broadband Forum is the communications industry's leading organization focused on accelerating broadband innovation, standards, and ecosystem development. Our members' passion – delivering on the promise of broadband by enabling smarter and faster broadband networks and a thriving broadband ecosystem.