The Broadband Forum says that three new projects will provide “open source software blueprints” that will help harness artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI and ML) to reduce latency, improve user experience, and broaden in-home applications choices.
Then new products are the Open Broadband-CloudCO-Application Software Development Kit (OB-CAS), the Open Broadband – Simple Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (OB-STAMP),and the Open Broadband – Subscriber Session Steering (OB-STEER).
“These new projects will play a key role in improving network performance measurement and monitoring and the end-user experience,” Broadband Forum Technical Chair Lincoln Lavoie said in a press release.
“Open source software is a crucial component in providing the blueprint for BSPs to follow and we invite interested companies to get involved.”
The scope of the Broadband Forum projects:
- The goal of OB-CAS is to simplify network monitoring and maintenance for BSPs and offer a wider selection of applications from software vendors. Network operations will be simplified and automated through existing Broadband Forum cloud standards that use AI and ML to improve the end-user experience.
- OB-STAMP will create easily deployed components that simplify network performance measurement between customer premises equipment and the IP Edge. OB-STAMP will enable BSPs to proactively monitor subscribers’ home networks to measure latency and avoid network failures. Four vendors have joined the project.
- OB-STEER will build on Broadband Forum’s upcoming technical report WT-474. It will create a reference implementation of the subscriber session steering architecture to deliver flexible, on-demand connectivity and simplify network management. Interoperability of subscriber session steering will be implemented in the access network equipment and edge equipment from various vendors.
The Broadband Forum projects come at a moment when machine learning and newer iterations of AI are becoming vital to the broadband industry. Last month, Anil Jain, Google Cloud’s Global Managing Director, Strategic Consumer Industries, told Telecompetitor that generative and “agentic” AI provide access to vital real-time data. This, Jain said, has led to a “profound shift in consumer expectations and companies’ capabilities. “
