2021.04.23 – Open Broadband News

Achieving full broadband potential with containerization

Flexibility and security within the home network is sought after by service providers and is essential for end users. Creating a containerized environment and standardizing the implementation and management of third-party software within a container will allow these much-needed abilities to be accomplished. The path of widespread containerization also opens the door to rapid innovation and cost efficiency.

Containerization refers to the ability to unlock a new service by adding software to a CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) without upgrading the firmware. Why would we want to do this? Well, as opposed to monolithic firmware, containerization makes it easier to maintain smaller code sets instead of large monolithic code sets inherent to firmware. Upgrading the CPE’s complete firmware can be a time-consuming and laborious task, but containerization allows a software upgrade to be added whilst circumventing any challenges.

Containerization also means a faster time to market for new services. Typical firmware upgrade cycles range from 9 to 18 months if we consider the various steps such as gathering requirements, upgrading the monolithic firmware image, internal testing, customer testing, and phased roll-out to production.

You can read the full blog by Domos CTO Magnus Olden here

InCoax cracks European telco MDU headache

The global pandemic has fueled a huge growth in demand and placed additional stress on operators to deliver connectivity for Multi Dwelling Units (MDUs) across Europe, and at this year’s Gigabit Access, InCoax discussed how reusing existing in-building infrastructure for broadband access can combat the connectivity complexities for residents and businesses.

InCoax’s fiber extension technology based on Broadband Forum’s TR-419 and the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) standard can provide MultiGigabit speeds for subscribers and speed up the installation process by utilizing existing infrastructure for tenants and MDU owners.

“With MDU buildings already having existing coaxial networks, operators have a viable alternative to installing expensive and labor-intensive fiber direct to the premises,” said Helge Tiainen, Head of Marketing, Sales and Product Management at InCoax.

At Gigabit Access 2021, InCoax’s roundtable entitled ‘FTTep: How can complimentary technologies support gigabit broadband rollouts?’ was moderated by Broadband Forum Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Business Development Craig Thomas with speakers including Helge Tiainen (InCoax), Simon Fisher (BT) and Mike Talbert (Verizon and MoCA).

Passive markets get aggressive as XGS-PON surges

Officially adopted by the ITU-T as the G.9807 standard, Next Generation Symmetric-Passive Optical Network (XGS-PON) is rapidly becoming the optical broadband technology du jour for different operators around the world. It’s currently being deployed in roles as diverse as FTTH/FTTP, high-speed residential and business services, mobile anyhaul, triple play, video streaming and HDTV, smart cities and the IoT, and rural telecommunications provision.

Standardization is one thing. Conformance certification is another, and is viewed by experts such as Craig Thomas, the Broadband Forum’s VP of Strategic Marketing and Business Development, as essential to mass market, commercial deployment of new technology. In 2011, the Broadband Forum initiated the BBF.247 G-PON Certification Program to verify the conformance of G-PON products and their adherence to the ITU-T G-PON standard and to Broadband Forum specifications. In mid-2020 the Forum announced that it had expanded the BBF.247 ONU Certification Program to include XGS-PON.

“The Certification Program addresses a variety of ONUs and once certified, vendors can deploy their ONU products with greater interoperability to existing OLT equipment already deployed,” states Thomas. “Attaining XGS-PON market readiness with the BBF.247 certification ensures that vendors’ products are trusted and proven, and therefore operators and equipment manufacturers have the confidence that the products will provide their end-users with the seamless service they require.”

To view the full article on pages 8-10 in the spring edition of Optical Connections Magazine, click here.

US and Japan join forces to focus on OpenRAN and 6G

The US and Japan have signaled their intent to work together on the future of communications networking technology and other ICT Research & Development to create a new global powerhouse.

The US and Japanese Governments have agreed jointly to plough $4.5 billion to go “beyond 5G” and attempt to take a lead in the nascent 6G sector. Last Friday evening, US President Joe Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga signed an accord to co-operate directly “in the research, development testing and deployment of secure networks and advanced information and communications technology,” and to work together in numerous other areas that could swing the balance of tech leadership their way.

The US is contributing $2.5 billion to the effort, while Japan is contributing $2 billion. The initiative will “advance secure and open 5G networks, including Open Radio Access Networks (‘Open-RAN’), by fostering innovation and by promoting trustworthy vendors and diverse markets.”

The partners will also “strengthen competitiveness in the digital field by investing in research, development, testing, and deployment of secure networks and advanced ICT including 5G and next-generation mobile networks (‘6G’ or ‘Beyond 5G’).”

Netflix shares take a tumble as isolation rules wane

Video-streaming giant Netflix has reported a slowdown in subscriber growth, sending its shares tumbling.

About 3.98 million people signed up for Netflix between January and March, well short of the projected 6 million. The company said a lack of new shows may have contributed to the shortfall, adding that it expected this to recover as sequels to hit shows are released.

Netflix shares fell 11% in after-hours trading to $489.28, wiping $25bn off the company’s market capitalization. The streaming service added 15.8 million new subscribers last year as Covid-19 forced people around the world to stay home. But the pandemic has proven a double-edged sword for Netflix, because it also disrupted its production pipeline.

“These dynamics are also contributing to a lighter content slate in the first half of 2021, and hence, we believe slower membership growth,” the company said in its quarterly letter to shareholders.