BSPs accelerate deployments with new certification programme
December 16, 2024
A new fibre extension certification programme is streamlining the deployment of high-performance networks by broadband service providers (BSPs) via a collaboration between two leading standards development organisations.
Positron Access Solutions and ReadyLinks have become the first certified system vendors to officially pass the Broadband Forum and HomeGrid Forum’s GHNA (G.hn Access) Certification Programme. The programme combines Broadband Forum-based performance testing with HomeGrid Forum-based compliance and interoperability testing for access equipment.
Designed to accelerate the delivery of high bandwidth content in homes while saving time and money for BSPs, the certification programme helps manufacturers ensure their infrastructure meets stringent performance and interoperability standards. As a result, building owners can upgrade their networks over existing wired technology, such as coaxial cabling and telephone wiring.
“The G.hn Access Certification Program points to a robust and growing product market using G.hn technology as a broadband access backbone,” commented LUMEN Director Strategic Innovation and Vice President of the HomeGrid Forum Tom Barnett. “Validating the interoperability of G.hn devices in a multi-vendor deployment is a huge milestone for all broadband players involved.”
“This certification programme provides the assurance of performance and interoperability of the different G.HNA technology vendors, saving money and time,” added TELUS Senior Design Specialist, HomeGrid Forum Board Director and Chair of the GiGAWire Task Force Paul Arola. “Service providers and building owners can now accelerate their network upgrades with the certified equipment, extending multi-gigabit speeds over existing wiring (coax or twisted pair) with G.hn technology. I am excited to start welcoming a long list of vendors and devices engaging with the certification.”
The certifications follow the G.hn Access Pre-Certification Plugfest which took place in late 2022 at University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) with participants both on-site and remotely connected to the test beds from around the world.
The system vendors came together to pre-test and solve service delivery challenges and since then have continued their intensive testing efforts with a number of service providers and building owners, validating their interoperability in real deployments. The G.hn Access systems listed below successfully passed both parts of this complex certification process, and have now been awarded the first official certification logo on behalf of both organisations.
G.hn Access Certified Devices:
- Positron G1001-C (G.hn to Ethernet Bridge over Coax – G.hn Wave-2 endpoint that connects to a Residential Gateway).
- ReadyLinks IPC-2TCP-RPF (G.hn Wave-2 endpoint switch with combo coax/phoneline to Ethernet).
GHNA Certification, which is available through either the Broadband Forum or the HomeGrid Forum, is comprised of two parts. Part A sees compliance and interoperability testing (GiGAWire testing) specified by the HomeGrid Forum, and Part B sees performance testing (BBF.GHNA testing) specified by the Broadband Forum and its ongoing work in TR-476 (G.hn Access Performance Test Plan). G.hn Access deployments operate in Point-to-Point (P2P) over any media. When used over coaxial cabling, it also supports Point-to-Multipoint (P2MP) topologies.