2020.09.04 – Open Broadband News

Standards key to unlocking the Connected Home

In light of the current pandemic, global technology market advisory firm ABI Research estimates that Connected Home devices could see a 30% year-on-year sales surge in the coming months.

Not only this, says Daniel Egger, Axiros GmbH and Project Stream Lead for Broadband Forum’s Broadband User Services (BUS) Data Modeling Project Stream, smart home devices are expected to overtake smartphones by 2021, with the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices predicted to reach more than 50 billion devices, according to Strategy analytics.

To monetize this golden opportunity within the Connected Home market, service providers must first unlock a truly interoperable ecosystem for user services that vastly improves the consumer experience.

TIM slices up access network unit, serves up single fixed access network to Italy

TIM (Telecom Italia) has paved the way for the creation of a single national fixed access network in Italy by rubber-stamping a deal to sell a slice of its access network unit to private equity firm KKR. It will then ultimately merge that unit with alternative wholesale network operator Open Fiber to create a new wholesale national entity called AccessCo.

TIM will sell a 37.5% stake in FiberCop, the name of its newly-created fixed access unit that already reaches 85% of the Italian population with Fiber-To-The-x (FTTx)-based services, to KKR Infrastructure for €1.8 billion. TIM will retain a 58% stake, while FastWeb will hold a 4.5% stake.

FiberCop, which will offer passive wholesale network services to any retail Internet Service Provider (ISP), will continue to build out its network across Italy and allow other operators to co-invest. An agreement has also been struck with Tiscali to this effect.

TIM’s board of directors has also given the go-ahead for a merger between FiberCop and Open Fiber to form AccessCo, in which TIM would hold a stake of at least 50.1% but which, because of a “shared governance mechanism” with Italian state lender CDP Equity, would act as an independent operation. Open Fiber is jointly run and funded by state-controlled utility company Enel and CDP.

UK councils asked to pick up baton in 5G race

Ministers in the UK have written to local authorities asking that they help speed up the rollout of gigabit broadband and 5G mobile coverage by expediting the installation of infrastructure and countering 5G disinformation.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman and Local Government Minister Simon Clarke have urged councils to follow new government advice on land access and valuations, which will apparently allow deals granting access for infrastructure such as 5G masts and full fiber broadband cabinets on public land to be signed off more quickly.

Councils are also being asked to appoint a ‘digital champion’ to work across a number of teams on bringing together a cohesive digital infrastructure strategy.

South Africa sprints ahead in broadband marathon

South Africa’s mean broadband speed doubled in the past two years and is faster than the world average.

But it remains much slower than in countries such as Brazil, Sri Lanka and Kosovo – and is ranked 97th in the world, out of 211 countries and territories – according to a new study which analyzed more than 557 million broadband speed tests worldwide. As recently as 2018, South Africa was in the 76th position.

The research was designed and compiled by Cable.co.uk, and the data gathered by open-source project M-Lab, with teams from Code for Science and Society, New America’s Open Technology Institute, Google, Princeton University’s PlanetLab, and other supporting partners.

The study found that the average download speed globally is 24.84 megabits per second (Mbps), while the average time it would take to download a 5GB movie is more than two hours and 12 minutes. In South Africa, the mean download speed is 14.1Mbps – from 6.38Mbps in 2018. In 2020, it will take on average around 48 minutes to download a 5GB movie. This is a massive improvement from two years ago – when it took almost an hour longer.

Spain’s 5G bulking up, Telefónica credits full fiber diet

As of today, Telefónica’s 5G network is available in all the autonomous communities, with outstanding hyperconnectivity in European terms as a result of its combination with fiber optics.

According to Telefónica chairman José María Álvarez-Pallete: “5G will bring huge benefits for Spain. This is a golden opportunity for our country to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

This move will enable 75% of the Spanish population to obtain access to this new technology by the end of the year. The switching on of Telefónica’s 5G network comes after Álvarez-Pallete confirmed Telefónica’s commitment to promote the complete digitization of the country last July. Spain already leads Europe’s digital infrastructures with the largest fiber optic network.

Broadband Forum needs you!

Do you want to help shape the future of broadband? If so, why not become a Broadband Forum Work Area Director?

Broadband Forum is seeking the appointment of leaders for the following Work Areas:

• Access and Transport Architecture
• Broadband User Services
• Fiber Access Networks

The terms will last for two years, beginning from January 2021. To submit a candidacy statement, follow the instructions provided on Broadband Forum Members’ Wiki.

A Series of Fortunate Events – by Broadband Forum

Reality check: The State of PON in the MSO Market

The Broadband Forum BASe events are continuing their PON reality check 2020 series of webinars to keep you updated on the latest innovations influencing fiber today.

In the latest edition of the BASe webinar series we will be joined by an expert panel of leading cable operators and vendors from Europe, North and South America, highlighting their vision and preferred PON technologies plus the challenges and opportunities when migrating and complimenting their existing HFC/DOCSIS investment.

Taking place on Thursday, September 10 at 7.30am PST, the ‘State of PON in the MSO Market’ webinar will feature presentations from Liberty Global, Telecom Argentina, CommScope, and Calix.

Save your seat at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M4Dc7iAYR8GRsR6b6IbkEw

Virtual Broadband World Forum 2020 – discounted participation for BBF members

Broadband Forum will join the Virtual Broadband World Forum (BBWF) event on 13-15 October 2020. BBWF is offering Broadband Forum members the opportunity to participate in this major industry event at a reduced rate.

As a key, long-standing partner to Broadband World Forum, Broadband Form will remain a major contributor to the conference content.

Broadband Forum members interested in being part of the Interop Pavilion will enjoy the following perks:

• A discounted rate for a Broadband Forum pod at a fraction of what it would cost to display on the show floor independently at £2,900
• 2 x full access delegate passes for the conference
• 10% off from any full price exhibitor package

To find out more about features, capabilities and functionality of a virtual stand.  BBWF invites you to view a demo here: https://tmt.knect365.com/bbwf/client-demo-your-guide-to-the-virtual-platform/\.

For additional enquiries or to book a Broadband Forum pod, please contact Tamas Szuts on tamas.szuts@informa.com or +44 (0) 207 017 4260.

Virtually back to BASe-ics

Broadband Forum has confirmed the dates of its next vBASe sessions. It will host its first ever virtual demo at Broadband World Forum, from October 13-15, showcasing the latest developments of its OB-BAA initiative. A panelist session on the Connected Home, along with a live Q&A, will also be held.

vBASe North America will then take place on October 26, with a theme of “2020 Lessons, 2021 Reality”, while vBASe Australia will see Broadband Forum team up with nbn to provide three weekly 90 minute sessions to deliver a market update.

The vBASe series continues for the first-ever virtual UFBB 2020 during the weeks commencing November 16 and 23. vBASe UFBB will cover the theme of ‘The Technology Leaders’ and will see three virtual sessions on Market Update, Access technology and Connected Home technology.

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.

Can’t get enough of us?

With regular content posted daily, the best to stay up to date on all things Broadband Forum is to follow our social media pages. Whether it is to keep up with the latest events and webinars, or to stay informed on BBF’s latest innovations, make sure you don’t miss out.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; you won’t be disappointed!