The Broadband Forum has announced the launch of the Gfast Council, an alliance of operators, equipment makers, chip providers and software companies aiming to facilitate the rapid deployment of Gfast technology.
The new Council will aim to inform the market about Gfast technology - the gigabit broadband access technology that makes use of existing copper last mile wiring – through events and the publication of white papers and use cases.
In addition, the Council will also promote the Gfast Certification program to help accelerate the availability of interoperable Gfast solutions.
“Gfast has become an essential tool for service providers,” commented Michael Weissman, chair of the Gfast Council. “The Gfast Council combines the collective intelligence of 150 members of the Broadband Forum to make the rollout of Gfast deployments faster and more successful.”
The first six products have meanwhile been certified for interoperability under the Gfast certification program. Products from ARRIS, Calix, Huawei, Metanoia, Nokia and Technicolor have been assessed for interoperability by the Broadband Forum and the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL).
Products passing certification are based on chipsets from Broadcom, Metanoia and Sckipio.
“Consumers want ultrafast broadband speeds and they want them immediately. In many cases, Gfast offers service providers the best chance to meet this requirement,” added Broadband Forum CEO Robin Mersh.
“The Council will be the center of expertise in Gfast and as such will work to show how Gfast fits into the bigger gigabit broadband picture covered by the Forum’s work.”