2019.01.08 – Open Broadband News

Beyond the network: Why standardization efforts are being brought into the home

As subscriber demand for live video streaming, cloud storage and Internet of Things-inspired applications continues to rise at an exponential rate, Broadband Forum CEO Robin Mersh voices his thoughts on the period of unpreceded technological upheaval the broadband industry is facing.

Focusing on how the existing broadband infrastructure will need to evolve to meet these demands, Mersh explores how the work being undertaken within the Broadband Forum fits in and why the rise of the connected home means it is expanding its focus to address the network end-to-end.

The latest progress on the Broadband Forum’s User Services Platform (USP) – the Broadband Forum’s new standard for implementing, deploying and managing all types of devices in the modern broadband home – is also detailed in the article which is available on page 8-9 of the latest issue of Telecom Tech Outlook.

5G is accelerating: D-Link announces new 5G home router for 2019

D-Link has expanded its smart home offering with the introduction of one of the first in-home 5G routers.

The new 5G NR Enhanced Gateway (DWR-2010) uses a 5G SIM card to provide homes with superfast Wi-Fi which is up to 40 times faster than the average 70Mbps broadband speed in the US.

The gateway supports both the sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies and is geared more toward service providers than customers. They’ll be able to customize it, deploy it to their subscribers, and remotely manage it.

Voice-activated gadgets for the connected home will be the focal point at upcoming CES 2019 

Voice-activated digital assistants are set to be the main gadget on display at the annual CES show in Las Vegas this year, according to Bloomberg.

According to the company, voice-activated digital assistants are racing from novelty to mainstream computing device. More than a quarter of U.S. adults will use one regularly next year, according to EMarketer Inc., and they’re increasingly ordering them to dim the lights, and control the television and thermostat.

Despite the increase in demand, Bloomberg recognizes that controlling smart home devices with a voice command remains aspiration for most people.

The Broadband Forum’s work on the Connected Home is just one initiative which hopes to chase this by enabling Service Providers to seamlessly implement, deploy and manage connected home devices.

To view a video interview with Barbara Stark, of AT&T, Project Stream Manager for OB-MAP and USP, on this topic, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B28xY-YJKwU&list=PLLp8LhUlrW4ESMDy-W56mMDlNROvuPlnH&index=5.

A second interview with Jason Walls, of QA Cafe, Co-Director of the Broadband Forum’s Broadband User Services Work Area, also covers the Forum’s work on carrier grade Wi-Fi and is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B28xY-YJKwU&list=PLLp8LhUlrW4ESMDy-W56mMDlNROvuPlnH&index=5

India reveals plans to raise minimum broadband speed to 2 Mbps

In line with the objective of ‘Broadband for All’ by 2022, the Indian government plans to soon revise the minimum speed of a broadband connection to more than 2 Mbps immediately and then upwards to 5Mbps.

Currently, the minimum broadband speed stands at 512 Kbps. The last revision was done in 2011, when the minimum speed was revised to 512 Kbps from 256 Kbps.

The policy decision will be given a final stamp of approval by Telecom Commission, the highest policy making body of Department of Telecommunications.

Thailand announces $125m rural broadband subsidy for Fixed broadband

Thailand’s telecoms regulator NBTC plans to provide 4 billion baht ($125.2 million) worth of subsidies for fixed broadband services in border villages as part of its efforts to bridge the urban-rural digital divide.

The three-year subsidy will be provided in support of Thailand’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) Net project. The USO Net project, involving the deployment of a fiber network, free Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile access nodes across 3,920 villages in 62 provinces across the nation, is due to be completed in March.

Project winners will be required to provide broadband packages offering speeds of 30Mbps for 200 baht per month. The subsidies will be used to ensure the services are affordable to the 600,000 low-income households in border villages that cannot afford these prices.

DT calls for more collaboration to deliver Gigabit Germany

Deutsche Telekom says that the government must do more to incentivize telcos to build out their fiber networks to future proof the country’s digital economy.

DT’s chief executive, Tim Höttges called on the German government and the country’s telecoms regulators to remove barriers and incentivize the build out of full fiber networks, particularly in rural parts of the country.

“Too many people in Germany are just talking about the expansion of the network. Too few really do something. Deutsche Telekom has made Germany faster again in the past twelve months. I am very proud of that,” said Höttges said. “I would like others to do more for the broadband buildout in the coming year. We need more cooperation, faster approval procedures and more courage to break new grounds.”