2022.11.11 – Open Broadband News

Disaggregating Access Nodes brings simplified operations and promotes greater competition within the supply chain

Access Nodes in a broadband network are the critical elements that are responsible for aggregating thousands of access lines and processing data packets once the connection is established for the customer. Traditionally this is one of the largest network element investments made by a broadband operator. They facilitate all control, management, and data plane traffic flows through the network. Access Nodes implement technology-specific protocols and future evolutions of network connectivity.

As broadband technologies continue to evolve at pace, it adds pressure on operators to protect their investments to ensure profitability before a new cycle of software deployment needs to be introduced. Operators need to address customer requirements for better Quality of Service, higher speeds, and lower latency.

Broadband Forum’s WT-477 and MR-477 ‘Access Node Hardware Disaggregation’ published from the SDN/NFV Work Area revolutionizes the architecture of the Access Node to address the changing needs of the industry. The specification work provides operators with a migration path from one of their largest network investments, existing Access Nodes such as Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Multi-Service Access Nodes (MSANs) to a new disaggregated software-driven model approach.

Read the full blog from Bruno Cornaglia and Mengmeng Li, SDN/NFV Work Area Co-Directors at Broadband Forum here.

Gaming tech to serve as the biggest driving force for metaverse

A new S&P Global Market Intelligence report has found that gaming technology will be the biggest contributor to aiding the metaverse’s evolution. This is because AR and VR hardware allows users to engage in the virtual world in and outside of work.

At the end of 2021, S&P Global Market Intelligence estimates there were 28.5 million AR and VR headsets installed globally throughout consumer and commercial settings. It forecasts that base to grow to 73.6 million by 2026.

The newly published 2023 Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Industry Outlook is part of S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Big Picture 2023 Outlook Report Series. Noted in the new report are the implications of the metaverse in gaming and the enterprise, with data centre sustainability becoming an increasingly troubling energy crisis, as well as the rise of fintech as a service.

“The foundational shift of the global economy to a digital footing, a shift that has been underway for over a decade and accelerated during the pandemic, continues,” says Eric Hanselman, Chief Research Analyst for TMT, S&P Global Market Intelligence.

New Maryland county grant tackles the ‘long driveway’ broadband gap

Low return on investment and a lack of access to middle mile infrastructure and backhaul are often cited by operators when they explain why some parts of the U.S. remain without access to broadband service today.

But there’s another hurdle lurking, especially in rural areas, which prevents some residents from getting connected even if a fixed provider does come to town: a long driveway. Now, Charles County in Maryland is leading the charge to tackle the issue head on.

The County’s Rural Broadband Taskforce developed a Broadband Strategic Plan, which identified the unserved residents in the County. It grouped them into one of three categories: those in contiguous unserved areas (Category 1), those in unserved pockets (Category 2) and locations set so far back from the road that service providers are unwilling to reach them unless the homeowners share the cost (Category 3).

When funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) became available for broadband projects, the county saw an opportunity to tackle the third category. Now, Charles County is offering grants of up to $15,000 to help Category 3 residents get service.

Only stability will restore Venezuela’s struggling telecoms sector

Venezuela’s telecoms sector has not been flush with positive developments of late – the country’s economy has been in a downward spiral for well over five years now, and this has caused a staggering decline in a sector that had seen average to strong growth up until around 2015.

As observed by BuddeComm Analyst Henry Lancaster, Venezuela’s fixed-line teledensity was relatively high for the region up until this point, but has fallen dramatically to a low of around 17.3% in 2021.

The country’s broader economic woes have left millions unable to afford even basics such as food, water and gasoline. In this context, even communications become a luxury, leading many customers to cancel fixed line and mobile services. Lancaster notes that mobile subscriptions fell by an estimated 2.4% year-on-year in 2020, and growth is not expected to return until 2023.

Africa is on the cusp of a broadband explosion

Africa is on the cusp of a broadband explosion but must address significant challenges to ensure that the continent and economic benefits come with it. This was the consensus at the fourth Broadband Africa Forum.

During the forum, representatives from the African Union (AU), Africa Telecom Union (ATU), major operators, major vendors, and consultants held in-depth discussions on how to accelerate broadband adoption, improve broadband quality and promote the broadband service economy in Africa. They also highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by the continent when it comes to accelerating connectivity.

“One of the most obvious challenges in rolling out fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) is network availability,” said Anderson Amlamba, director of the AU’s Management Information System. “The networks simply aren’t there.” When it comes to addressing those challenges, Amlamba stressed the need for cooperation.

View valuable insights from Broadband Forum’s Work Areas

Craig Thomas, Vice President Strategic Marketing and Business Development has been catching up with the Physical Layer Transmission (PHYx), Common YANG and Broadband User Services (BUS) Work Area Directors to discuss the latest developments across the industry.

You can view the interviews with Herman Verbueken, Physical Layer Transmission (PHYx) Work Area Director, Joey Boyd and Sven Ooghe, Common YANG Work Area Co-Directors, and Jason Walls, BUS Work Area Co-Director here.