Operators' Need for Interoperability Drives Broadband Forum's G-PON Certification

FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As demand for broadband speed accelerates and network operators increasingly look for interoperable solutions for fiber networks, the Broadband Forum is witnessing increased global demand for their G-PON testing through its BBF.247 G-PON ONU Certification Program. More than 20 devices have already been certified from global companies including the latest additions such as Askey, Blu-Castle, Xavi, Finisar, Sagemcom and Sercomm, as well as additional devices from some other vendors.

Many more products are expected to follow in the coming months as G-PON certification becomes a 'must have' requirement in the market. The Certification, which is widely recognized by major network operators deploying G-PON across the world, responds to the industry's need for interoperability to help speed the widespread adoption of fiber-based networks. It assures that G-PON equipment meets service provider requirements for efficient network operations and high quality customer experience.

"With operators aiming to provide high quality fiber networks, industry traction and momentum in G-PON activity is constantly building," said Tom Starr, President of the Broadband Forum. "Growing demand for higher bandwidth and ultrafast broadband, coupled with the continuous development of innovative fiber technologies, present excellent opportunities for the G-PON market going forward." 

The BBF.247 G-PON ONU Certification Program verifies the conformance of G-PON ONU devices to the ITU-T G.988 G-PON standard and to the Broadband Forum's TR-156 specification. It also supports BroadbandSuite 6.2, which establishes a fiber interoperability test plan and offers new options to accelerate G-PON deployments within the broadband industry.

Thierry Doligez, Director of LAN Laboratory, the Broadband Forum's official test house for G-PON ONU products, added: "The G-PON certification is extremely important for the operator community, ensuring conformance and interoperability. With a strong and reliable certification program, such as the BBF.247, testing burdens decrease, and more vendors can ship interoperable products with a reduced time to market."   

This announcement follows the Broadband Forum's Executive Invitational which took place in Taipei, Taiwan last month, and further emphasized the need for certified products in the marketplace on a global scale and accentuated the region's commitment to the work of the Broadband Forum.

Kevin Foster, Chairman of the Broadband Forum, added: "The success that our BBF.247 certification has already witnessed is the beginning of an exciting journey for the Forum. Our certification drive will not end with G-PON, especially as we look to the next phase in the evolving PON family of technologies, which includes XGPON1 and NGPON2."

BBF.247 G-PON ONU certified vendor support:

Ben Lin, CTO of Sercomm: "We found the Forum's BBF.247 G-PON ONU Certification Program straightforward and one that ran smoothly."

Todd Swanson, EVP of Global Sales & Marketing, Finisar: "Finisar is pleased to receive certification for our SFP ONU which allows for rapid availability of BBF.247 compliant ONUs for commercial and residential services. Our SFP G-PON ONU is an exciting new device in the SFP form factor which enables our customers to seamlessly migrate any traditional Ethernet SFP port in an existing FTTx or Wireless system into a G-PON ONU port. We are excited to be part of this important milestone driving standards compliance, system interoperability, and readiness for mass deployment."

Harold Fitch, CEO and Founder of Blu-Castle: "Blu-Castle is happy to perform testing under the BBF.247 G-PON certification as we believe it's a constructive path towards the IoT. The benefits for the industry are clear and immediate - as the ecosystem opens up, costs are reduced and fiber deployment increases. We also believe that by passing the certification we match industry requirements while establishing a benchmark for all players in field. The certification has strengthened our credibility and gives the operator community reassurance."

To view the full list of BBF.247 G-PON ONU certified products, please go to: https://www.broadband-forum.org/certifiedgpon.php.

For more information about the Broadband Forum, please go to http://www.broadband-forum.org or follow @Broadband_Forum on Twitter. For further information please contact Brian Dolby on +44 (0) 7899 914168 or Dana Hare on +44 (0) 1636 812152 or send an email to brian.dolby@proactive-pr.com  or dana.hare@proactive-pr.com.

About the Broadband Forum
Broadband Forum, a non-profit industry organization, is focused on engineering smarter and faster broadband networks. Our work defines best practices for global networks, enables service and content delivery, establishes technology migration strategies, engineers critical device & service management tools, and is key to redefining broadband. Our free technical reports and white papers can be found at www.broadband-forum.org. Twitter @Broadband_Forum.

SOURCE The Broadband Forum