The latest work drives greater value and a better Quality of Experience for the customer and allows operators to consolidate their IT systems for more efficient operations and reduces their Total Cost of Ownership.

“By defining these functional enhancements and capabilities for multi-vendor 5G broadband networks, the BBF’s work addresses the needs of both fixed and mobile operators,” said Manuel Paul, co-head of the Broadband Forum’s WWC working group and Deutsche Telekom. “They can combine offerings and provide a seamless subscriber experience regardless of the access method used, supported by a common control plane and a streamlined back office.”.

Paul continued: "As the standards mature, the industry will have the foundation to begin massive deployments in the residential and business markets."

The Broadband Forum's Wireless Convergence Working Group (WWC) is developing five new specifications as part of its 5G Phase 18.1 work. Key use cases include enterprise service support, hybrid access, network data analytics, and device support behind a 5G residential gateway (5G-RG). Network sharding, one of the key enhancements in this latest phase, can also prioritize different subscriber groups, such as homeworkers or gamers, with increased bandwidth on demand.

The documents WT-456 Issue 3 (Access Gateway Function Functional Requirements), WT-458 Issue 2 (CUPS for 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence) and WT-470 Issue 3 (5G Wireless-Wireline Convergence Architecture), as well as related expansions of CPE device requirements and device data models, will expand deployment options for operators.

“Our work on Phase 18.1 is driven by industry demand and operator priorities, as we focus on providing them with greater flexibility, revenue potential, and deployment options,” said Christele Bouchat, Co-Head of Nokia’s WWC Working Group and Broadband Forum. “By working closely with 3GPP, we ensure synergy for the broadband sector. By leveraging convergence, operators can cost-effectively deliver broadband to homes and offices.”.

The previous phase of work included the separation of the control and user plane (CUPS) for multi-vendor support (TR-458) and specified the combined AGF-5G user plane (“Broadband-UPF”), which allows operators to flexibly and efficiently utilize the broadband user plane with the 5G control plane cost-effectively. Broadband Forum technical reports TR-493 and TR-494 , converging residential voice support on existing 5G networks.