The Broadband Forum has launched the first stage of its Open Broadband project, which aims to make it easier for service providers to deploy cloud-based access networks.
Telcos including BT, Nokia and Telecom Italia have worked on the project, named Broadband Access Abstraction (OB-BAA). Today marks its first code and documentation release.
The Forum said its project would help companies adapt to an increasingly wide variety of different software-based access models. The code and documentation would help telcos implement co-existence, seamless migration and agility.
The open source project specifies component and interfaces for virtualised access devices. The Broadband Forum said this standardised and layered architecture is designed for SDN automation, which differs it from other approaches, and decouples device and software implementation.
Robin Mersh, Broadband Forum CEO, said: “OB-BAA enables operators to optimise their decision-making process for introducing new infrastructure based on user demand and acceptance instead of being forced into a total replacement strategy.
“By reducing planning, risks and execution time, investment in new systems and services can be incremental.”
OB-BAA also dovetails with the Broadband Forum’s CloudCO project, which aims to make it easier to deploy cloud-based services. The Forum added it will coordinate its research with other industry initiatives such as the Open Networking Foundation.
Other telcos involved in OB-BAA include Broadcom, Calix, CenturyLink, China Telecom, Huawei, Titbit Communications, the University of New Hampshire’s InterOperability Lab and ZTE.
Binchao Lin, Access Network Architect at Huawei and VC of OB-BAA, said: “OB-BAA is a very important reference implementation of Cloud CO. “It is a project which is important to the entire broadband community.”