Broadband Forum News
2020.05.15 – Open Broadband News
Informing and inspiring – Broadband Forum expands 2020 BASe line-up
Broadband Forum has announced new dates for its Broadband Acceleration Seminar (BASe) series which will run throughout 2020. Providing the broadband industry with the latest information on developments in next-generation broadband and attracting proven leading industry experts globally, the BASe series delivers insights into the future of broadband from the world’s largest service providers, top-tier analysts and leading vendors and suppliers.
At a time when full broadband connectivity services, the Connected Home and the customer experience is more critical than ever, Broadband Forum and its BASe series has a responsibility of keeping the industry informed and inspired. Following last year’s success which saw hundreds of experts attend the BASe series, virtual sessions will be a big part of the 2020 schedule. Fiber Broadband Association and Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council Europe will join Broadband Forum in the first of six 60-90 minute sessions of the BASe webinar series.
The first session on Thursday, May 14 was ‘The Worldwide PON Market BASe Series Webinar’ on the theme of “PON Reality Check 2020.” Held every two weeks continuing into July, the series will feature presentations from Julie Kunstler, Principal Analyst at OMDIA, Lisa Youngers, CEO of Fiber Broadband Association, Hal Roberts, Calix, ITU/FSAN/IEEE, Robin Mersh, CEO of Broadband Forum, and Eric Joyce, Chair of the Market Intelligence Committee and Board Member, FTTH Council Europe.
It will also be a very busy last quarter of 2020 as UFBB BASe 2020 returns in November, in Den Haag, The Netherlands, for the twelfth consecutive year. This follows the three October events – two BASe BBWF 2020 Workshops to kick-off Broadband World Forum 2020 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and BASe North America, in Las Vegas, USA. In addition, the first ever BASe FTTH Europe 2020 will take place at FTTH Conference, in Berlin, Germany, in December.
What’s fixed got to do with it?
Wider 5G roll out, a significant shift towards cloudification and an opportunity for service providers to capitalize on the Connected Home are among the top broadband trends making an impact on the industry today.
This is the message delivered in an article in the latest issue of Fibre Systems, featuring various representatives from Broadband Forum who provided their views on upcoming broadband trends and how the current pandemic situation has made its own impact.
Fibre Systems spoke to Dave Allan, Wireline-Wireless Convergence Work Area Director, Tim Carey, OB-BAA Chair, Jason Walls, Broadband User Services Work Area Co-director and Co-chair of Connected Home, Robin Mersh, Broadband Forum CEO, and Bernd Hesse, Marketing Chair.
Connected Kingdom: Britain’s broadband continues to improve
The latest report from UK regulator Ofcom has revealed that average UK broadband speeds largely held up during the Covid-19 lockdown – despite rising demand from home working, online lessons and TV streaming.
Ofcom’s Home Broadband Performance Report reveals how broadband speeds changed before and after the lockdown measures came in – when there was a surge in broadband use. Download and upload speeds fell only by 2 per cent and 1 per cent respectively.
“Broadband in the UK has really been put to the test by the pandemic, so it’s encouraging that speeds have largely held up,” said Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s Group Director for Strategy and Research. “This has helped people to keep working, learning and staying connected with friends and family.”
The report also highlights that broadband speeds in rural areas are catching up to those in towns and cities. The proportion of rural lines receiving at least superfast broadband (30 Mbit/s and above) during peak times continues to increase – from 44 per cent in 2018 to 56 per cent in 2019.
The research was published alongside Ofcom’s ‘Connected Nations’ spring update, which provides a summary of broadband availability and mobile coverage in the UK as of January 2020, before the outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK. According to this, five million homes (12 per cent) can now access full-fiber broadband, an increase of one fifth since September 2019.
No such thing as a free lunch – but in Peru, there is free broadband
Peru’s transport and communications ministry (MTC) is allowing public institutions to access the country’s Fibre Optic Backbone Network (RDFO) to meet increased demand resulting from the country’s coronavirus lockdown. The aim is to free up space on other internet networks so that private users can increase their browsing speed when working or studying from home.
Peru’s national telecommunications fund Pronatel will be tasked with financing additional costs generated by the increased use of the RDFO by public institutions, added the MTC.
The move comes after the ministry asked the World Bank to carry out a comprehensive review of the fiber backbone project managed by Mexico’s Azteca Comunicaciones after regulator Osiptel complained that demand for capacity was 84 percent less than expected.
Developed a USP Agent? Test its smarts – and interoperability – with Broadband Forum’s USP certification program
Broadband Forum is in the final stages of preparing to launch its USP Certification Program. The program will enable member companies to have their certified equipment listed in a Broadband Forum Certification project registry, similar to the Gfast list of Certified Interoperable Products and Companies. At the launch of the program, there will be a press release and additional marketing outreach about the program and the first certified devices.
This first USP Certification Program will focus on testing USP Agents according to the requirements of Broadband Forum TP-469 and its forthcoming corrigendum document.
If you wish to be involved, your product will need to be prepared to start testing by May 15.
If you are a non-Member who is interested in the program, and would like to join a growing number of member companies involved with Broadband Forum, please contact Rhonda Heier at info@broadband-forum.org.
Once launched, the USP Certification program will enable participants to perform self-testing utilizing the approved certification tool. Once the participant is satisfied with their test results, they will submit them to an approved testing lab for a final review and approval process.
A Series of Fortunate Events – by Broadband Forum
UFBB BASe postponed
In light of the current global situation, that brings with it a set of unprecedented challenges, Broadband Forum has rescheduled the dates of the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFBB) Broadband Acceleration Seminar (BASe) workshop and it will now be held on November 17th – 19th.
UFBB BASe is the premier communications industry event that focuses on the important policies, trends, technologies, and opportunities that affect broadband in Europe.
Register today to take advantage of early bird discounts.
Once uPON a time, a successful first BASe webinar took place
Broadband Forum has held the first webinar in its new BASe series. ‘The Worldwide PON Market’ BASe Series Webinar took place yesterday in conjunction with Fiber Broadband Association, and Fiber to the Home Council Europe.
Covering the latest drivers influencing fiber today, the “PON Reality Check 2020” webinar provided all the information and insights you need to keep on top of cutting-edge perspectives in the industry.
Stay tuned for a recording of the webinar.
Push the boundaries of network performance by registering for the TR-143 webinar
Service providers feel the demand from both customers and regulators to prove their networks perform as expected, and they need tools that help them measure, monitor, and troubleshoot broadband connections and the home network.
Broadband Forum’s TR-143 specification is a powerful solution that meets these needs. On May 20, at 7am (PT), join Broadband Forum for its exclusive ‘Get Compliance Ready and Exceed Network Performance Expectations with TR-143’ webinar.
Register now for the webinar to find out:
- How to use TR-143 diagnostics and options through TR-069/TR-369
- Considerations for design in gateways supporting TR-143
- Alternatives for TR-143 speed test servers for regulatory and operations needs
- Business benefits of TR-143 over competing solutions for compliance
- Plus, much more!
Don’t miss out! To register for the webinar please visit: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ql-RdtQ4SwKM6eOkt-mH6A.
The event must go on…Broadband Forum to host virtual Q2 meeting
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is continuing to impact the way of life for all, bringing a set of unprecedented challenges. In light of the current global situation, Broadband Forum has decided to switch its Q2 meeting, scheduled for June 16-19 in Melbourne, Australia, to a series of virtual meetings.
In light of the current global situation, we have set the Q2 Quarterly meeting as series of virtual events running between June 15-25, 2020. This will provide an opportunity for our Members and Observers to safely participate from around the globe. A detailed agenda and additional information is available to members on the Wiki.
To attend the virtual Q2 meeting, please register here. If you have any specific questions or suggestions, please email help@broadband-forum.org.
If you are considering membership in Broadband Forum and would like to observe the meeting, please contact Rhonda Heier at rheier@broadband-forum.org.
Read – or watch – all about it!
From 5G and the smart home to next-generation access and network automation, Broadband Forum is working on a series of initiatives to enable the next era of connectivity. If you would like to track or get involved in these projects, you can learn more about Broadband Forum’s work in progress here or visit its YouTube channel for further insight.
For Press and Analyst inquiries, contact Proactive PR at broadbandforum@proactive-pr.com
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