Broadband Forum delivers fiber solution set

SHANGHAI, CHINA: The Broadband Forum has brought widespread deployment of superfast broadband a step closer with the launch of its comprehensive fiber resource – BroadbandSuite 5.0 at the Forum's quarterly meeting, held in Shanghai.

The new release brings together into one suite the range of fiber-related work that the Broadband Forum has been carrying out in its Fiber Access Networks working group, working closely with FSAN, the Full Service Access Network, with the aim of enabling multi-vendor interoperability.

This will increasingly allow operators and service providers to build their fiber networks with confidence in product conformance and interoperability, allowing for greater flexibility in product selection and empowering more feature rich deployments. At the same time, these new specifications provide equipment manufacturers with the measure and means to verify and promote products that meet market-driven global standards.

Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum, said: "Fiber rollouts, especially hybrid DSL/PON deployments are growing faster than ever. We expect to see fiber figures continue to rise in our mid-year report due next week. BroadbandSuite 5.0 is a major resource for the industry to facilitate and accelerate the deployment of PON and it paves the way for next generation fiber technologies, including XG-PON1 and beyond."

Speaking on behalf of China Telecom at the Broadband Forum's keynote address, Leping Wei said: "G-PON interoperability is critical for mass deployment in the Chinese market and China is already the largest and fastest growing market for broadband. The G-PON Certification will certainly enable us to accelerate the widespread availability of faster broadband. With the Chinese market moving towards an estimated 250 million subscriber lines by 2015 and a household penetration of 50 percent, China Telecom sees G-PON and the advent of certified G-PON products as an important step in making this a reality."