How operators can secure value from a managed connected home

How operators can secure value from a managed connected home

Jason Walls, Chair of the Broadband Forum Connected Home Council, and Director of Technical Marketing at QA Cafe 

The number of smart homes is forecast to grow and surpass the 350 million mark in 2023 with the newest technologies becoming a necessity. With more devices comes more complexity for home and SOHO networks and difficulties for users trying to get the most out of them. End users are also becoming more aware of the threat landscape that comes with more IoT devices. This puts operators in a unique position to gain new revenue streams through the management of the connected home.

By utilizing products and applications based on standardized, well-tested open-source solutions to launch value-added services, operators can realize this value and guarantee the satisfaction of their subscribers.  The Broadband Forum created the User Services Platform, or TR-369, for exactly this purpose.

An IoT explosion creating challenges and opportunities

Ultimately, the responsibility of these operators is to satisfy customer needs. One of the main challenges operators face in managing the connected home is the wide spectrum of devices it brings. Consumers expect their service providers to deliver on the concept of the smart home, whilst at the same time guaranteeing reliable, fast broadband services.

The interconnection and interoperability of multiple devices, services, and apps, ranging from security to home automation and entertainment, is essential to deriving value from the connected home. Standardizing the managed connected home offers a number of benefits to operators, consumer electronics manufacturers, and application providers, creating an interoperable ecosystem that is easy and effective to manage.

The Broadband Forum has introduced new and up-to-date standardized protocols, such as TR-369 or User Services Platform (USP), to respond to the rapidly growing needs and demands of the connected world. USP co-exists with and represents the natural evolution of TR-069 as it offers an easy migration path for those that wish to introduce it into new and existing environments.

Rapidly adopted by operators, USP provides a customizable, turn-key solution for adding Wi-Fi optimization and more to their overall service offerings. The availability of this app-store-like solution, with the home gateway as the central hub, creates an enhanced user experience for the consumer.

The three pillars of successful technology

If the connected home market is to be monetized by service providers, it is vital that they can seamlessly migrate and evolve their systems with technologies on the market. It is only through interoperability that the door can be opened to new use cases essential in addressing the rising consumer demand and expectations. This also presents a great opportunity for service providers to offer premium services.

USP has been designed and specified by many service providers and vendors around the world, taking advantage of the long-term experience of deployments and managed services in complex network environments. Its open-source reference software, OB-USP-Agent, gives developers a vital starting point to expand into their own solutions for each service provider. It is complimented by a robust certification program that drives the standard, the open-source project, and the solutions that are currently deployed and being brought to market even now.

The combination of these three factors: open-source, open-standards, and robust testing and certification, is behind the most successful technologies out there, and USP is an exemplar of this paradigm.

Service providers are facing threats from hyperscalers and over-the-top application providers for control of the smart home. Deploying an open, standardized solution that provides a clear path towards new value and reduce costs is an opportunity that they must take now. Their bottom lines and their subscribers will all be the better for it.