2021.12.03 – Open Broadband News

Network automation interoperability across industry improved with YANG release from Broadband Forum

The automation of the control and configuration of access network elements – crucial in making service providers’ operations more efficient and cost-effective – has been improved in the latest YANG data model release from Broadband Forum.

Amendment 4 of TR-383, ‘Common YANG Modules for Access Networks’ builds upon the existing feature-rich set of YANG data models, introducing improvements to Quality of Service (QoS) that address large scale deployments as well as providing statistics for debugging services.

“With demand for network capacity, particularly fiber deployments, growing consistently, operators are constantly looking for ways to make their operations more efficient and more cost-effective. Automating the configuration and control of network elements is one way of doing this but as a growing concept, ensuring interoperability has been and continues to be a key concern,” said Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Business Development at Broadband Forum, Craig Thomas.

5G deployments takes shape in Africa as Broadband Forum looks ahead to 2022!

Between 2020 and 2021, Internet users in South Africa increased by 1.7 million, a 4.5 per cent increase. This Datareportal report highlights operators’ continued efforts to bridge the digital divide and bring connectivity to the unconnected. While Internet penetration in the country has risen to 64 per cent, more work should be done. There’s an urgent requirement to connect those left behind and to implement a strategy that will bring about greater change for all inhabitants, now and in the future. African broadband marketplace is diverse and characterized by limited fixed broadband penetration.

Leveraging fixed and wireless networks would be critical for South Africa and the wider African market as it means operators can make the most of their limited fixed networks. This means looking to the future and deploying fifth-generation technology to enhance existing service offerings and open new revenue streams.

In 2022 and beyond, by leveraging 4G/5G convergence standards, operators across South Africa can take a unified and holistic approach to help deliver high-quality fixed broadband connectivity the country deserves. There is a clear argument to invest once and look at the broadband access network holistically to deliver next-generation access. One unified access network can integrate all technologies, with the final access technology the only variable in a network which can accommodate all broadband access technologies. Read the full feature with Broadband Forum’s Craig Thomas on pages 130-132 in the African Wireless Communications Yearbook 2021.

Splashing the cash! Growing investor appetite for fixed line

There was once a time when the words “fixed line” turned investors cold — as the extraordinary growth of wireless telecoms and mobile data made cabling seem antiquated. Yet, in the age of full-fiber broadband, those tables have turned. Investors are backing a new generation of smaller, alternative cabled networks — dubbed “alt-nets” — forcing larger incumbents to increase their investment in broadband.

“There are two big things in telecoms right now: 5G and fiber,” says William Hare, an analyst with Omdia, a technology consultancy. “But, through the pandemic, fiber has become much more of a priority.”

Political pressure has played a part, with various government actions leading to upgrades of fiber broadband networks. These have ranged from threats to break up telecoms companies to offers of subsidies and tax incentives to encourage investment, particularly in rural areas.

Telecoms groups could be forgiven for some initial caution towards this fiber push. A “build it and they will come” attitude to network investment at the turn of the century backfired, as the value of telecoms companies collapsed due to sluggish demand for high-speed networks. But, two decades later, the resilience and speeds offered by full-fiber networks is more than matched by consumer appetite.

A long way still to go! Data reveals that 2.9 billion people have never used the Internet

New data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), also reveals strong global growth in Internet use, with the estimated number of people who have used the Internet surging to 4.9 billion in 2021, from an estimated 4.1 billion in 2019.

Of the 2.9 billion still offline, an estimated 96 percent live in developing countries. And even among the 4.9 billion counted as ‘Internet users’, many hundreds of millions may only get the chance to go online infrequently, via shared devices, or using connectivity speeds that markedly limit the usefulness of their connection.

“While almost two-thirds of the world’s population is now online, there is a lot more to do to get everyone connected to the Internet,” said ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao. “ITU will work with all parties to make sure that the building blocks are in place to connect the remaining 2.9 billion. We are determined to ensure no one will be left behind.”

Telcos to incite a fiber frenzy as connections projected to double by 2027!

The numbers of US homes passed by telco fiber and subscribing to those fiber-fed services will soar over the next five years as the phone companies keep installing fiber at a torrid pace, according to a new report by the financial analysts at Cowen.

The comprehensive report projects that telco Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) lines will pass 82 million American households by 2027, nearly double the 44 million households passed today. Furthermore, the report predicts that 35 million US homes will subscribe to telco fiber-enabled services by 2027, up from 16 million now, with fiber accounting for 75 percent of new broadband subscribers.

As a result, FTTH’s share of the broadband market will surge from 14 percent today to 26 percent in five years, even as the total addressable market (TAM) continues to expand. “The next few years will be historic in terms of telco FTTH upgrades, providing consumers speeds of 1 Gbit/s, closing the digital divide, expanding the total addressable market and achieving a ‘Gigabit America’,” the Cowen analysts said.