HomeGrid Forum and the GiGAWire Alliance have announced the start of a new certification scheme for G.hn access equipment. HomeGrid says the program has been launched in response to network operators expressing an urgent need to deploy interoperable G.hn equipment in their broadband access networks.
The program is intended to accelerate the development of network solutions based on ITU-T G.hn standards, and follows on from HomeGrid Forum’s current certification program to guarantee strict compliance and interoperability of the GiGAWire products, thereby reducing time-to-market.
With a goal of enabling next-generation networks that deliver faster-than-gigabit broadband services, the GiGAWire Alliance and HomeGrid Forum say they will together focus on innovating G.hn technology to provide broadband for large apartment complexes, office buildings and single-family units. The certification organization will build on the existing work by the GiGAWire Alliance, which means it is now possible to support multiple users through bundle cabling, thanks to crosstalk mitigation and auto pairing features.
“Our new organization is dedicated to guaranteeing end-to-end coexistence and interoperability at all levels of broadband access technology,” said Livia Rosu, Marketing Work Group Chair at HomeGrid Forum. "As part of this we are delighted to unveil our newest certification process and are now encouraging technology vendors to start submitting their applications, so we can support the continued development of advanced networking solutions that ensure a reliable, versatile backbone."
The partners say the new effort will also encourage service providers to leverage existing copper wiring within buildings, such as phone lines and coaxial cables, to deploy broadband at a fraction of the cost of traditional Fiber To The Home (FTTH) deployments.
“With the GiGAWire solution improving internet speeds up to 10 times over VDSL in the premises environment, where optical fiber cannot be deployed for technical or historical preservation reasons, this new effort will deliver huge benefits,” added Rosu. “As innovations continue to emerge, we will also expand our technical and marketing support across a widening portfolio of industries such as IoT, Smart Grids and GiGAWire MDUs, to provide the best connectivity to meet the needs of our changing world.”
Having first announced the news of the collaborative effort in October 2019, both organizations have been working closely together ever since to strengthen the ongoing development of broadband access technology with both G.hn and GiGAWire MDUs.
System vendors wanting to produce the highest quality of G.hn and GiGAWire technology should visit the HomeGrid Forum website to become a member so they can apply for the new certification process. The first GiGAWire test event is planned for March 2021. Learn more at www.homegridforum.org.