2020.05.29 – Open Broadband News

SiFi networks fiber expansion is out of this world

North American developer of open access fiber optic networks, SiFi Networks has secured a significant investment from the Smart City Infrastructure Fund to bring high speed connectivity to more areas of the USA.

The fund has made an initial investment of up to $50 million to enable network expansion into more cities simultaneously through the recruitment and training of additional industry specialists. It will also help to accelerate SiFi Networks’ FiberCity deployments.

FiberCity networks are designed for internet service providers, 4G/5G carriers and other service providers. The networks were named thus because fiber passes every home and business in the city. Smart city access points are also put in place as standard, helping to ensure the city is future-proofed.

In terms of the investment, it is expected that a further support of up to $400m will provide the project funding for the building of new fiber networks throughout several cities in the US.

Thai transformers unite to boost 5G development  

o coordinate the 5G development and boost the digital economy in Thailand, a 26- member National 5G Committee has been formed with Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-Cha as the chairman.

The development comes close on the heels of the collaboration between the Digital Economy and Society Ministry and Huawei Technologies to provide 5G powered AI-assisted solutions to hospitals across the country.

The committee plans to promote vertical 5G development, and to ensure that the adoption of the 5G network provides optimum benefits to the economy and end-users.

Takorn Tantasith, Secretary-general, Thailand NBTC, said: “The committee will promote a clear roadmap for 5G adoption and infrastructure development by ensuring the participation of representatives from key ministries.”

All Aussie is a future with 5G

Australian carrier Telstra is offering commercial 5G services in 47 cities across the country, ahead of its target of reaching 35 urban areas before the end of June.

“More than 700 suburbs across Australia are now more than 50% covered by 5G, with some covered up to 100% well ahead of schedule,” said Channa Seneviratne, a network engineering executive at Telstra. She added that the company’s 5G service already reaches 8 million Australians.

Some of the cities in which Telstra offers its 5G service are Canberra, Central Coast, Brisbane, Sidney, Cairns, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Hamilton, Melbourne and Perth.

The inverted pyramid: Egyptian home internet usage takes shape amid global pandemic

The use of telecommunication services and internet consumption across Egypt has increased since partial lockdown initiatives began, according to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA).

According to the NTRA’s monthly report, international voice calls increased by 4% during Ramadan and 19% since the beginning of curfew in Egypt in March. Local voice calls decreased by 1% during Ramadan and 7% since March. There was an increase in home internet use of 12% during Ramadan, raising the usage rate since March to 99%.

The NTRA report also revealed that the use of video applications such as TikTok, YouTube, Telegram and Zoom grew exponentially.

What tech legacy will COVID-19 leave for families?

COVID-19 has provided parents with fresh challenges on navigating the whole family’s wellbeing both physically and online. Technology has transformed almost every aspect of family life with family, from Zoom birthday parties, to Netflix screenings with friends, to Joe Wicks’ PE lessons now shaping our days.

The pandemic has also provided the opportunity for families to experiment with what does and doesn’t work for them when it comes to technology and has brought extended households closer via platforms like Zoom and Skype.

So how will all this all affect our daily behaviors in a post COVID-19 world?  Vodafone and digital wellbeing partners Digital Awareness UK spoke to some families about their experiences and offered its predictions on how our tech legacy may look post lockdown. Find out more here.

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 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

Back to BASe-ics – the emerging reality of PON in 2020

With full broadband connectivity services, the Connected Home and the customer experience becoming more critical than ever, Broadband Forum and its BASe series have a responsibility of keeping the industry informed and inspired.

While stay at home initiatives across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic make this more difficult, staying up to date is crucial to make sure the entire ecosystem can continue to work together to deliver the optimum service customers require.

Therefore, BBF has virtually reformatted its BASe workshops. With the new-look workshops delivered via a series of upcoming webinars, people can access the latest information on technologies driving the broadband industry and learn about the latest technologies enabling the next era of connectivity.

The focus on PON will continue with our next Home BASe Webinars, with the follow topics set to be covered:

• ECO system update: The State of Vendor PON Solutions – June 11
• The state of PON applications in the telco market – June 25
• Best practices – PON challenges today and in the future – July 11
• The state of PON applications in the MSO market – July 23

It is also set to be a hectic last quarter of 2020, with our physical BASe events set to return from October. Two BASe BBWF 2020 Workshops will kick-off Broadband World Forum 2020 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and BASe North America, in Las Vegas, USA. UFBB BASe 2020 will return in November, in Den Haag, The Netherlands, for the twelfth consecutive year and the first ever BASe FTTH Europe 2020 will take place at FTTH Conference, in Berlin, Germany, in December.

For more information about the BASe Webinars and to register for the next event, please click here.

Missed the first PON Webinar? Listen again here.

The event must go on – Broadband Forum hosts virtual Q2 meeting 

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.

These sessions will run 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.