New CPE specs promise to clear a key hurdle for broadband service providers to provide IPv6 support to customers, but migrating to full IPv6 remains tricky for most.
The Broadband Forum industry group (formerly known as the DSL Forum) approved several new technical reports at its annual meeting earlier this week related to IPv6.
“Most of it was about making our architecture specs IPv6-ready for TR-101, and the rest was looking at the nodal requirements for IPv6, and a lot of work on CPE for TR-069,” Broadband Forum CEO Robin Mersh told TelecomAsia on the sidelines of Carriers World Asia in Hong Kong Thursday.
The CPE spec – which Mersh described as “the biggest headache” of the forum’s IPv6 work – clears a major hurdle for broadband operators in implementing full IPv6 support all the way to the premises.
Up to now, IPv6 support in broadband CPE has been sporadic, due to lack of demand and no standards for implementing IPv6 in broadband CPE devices
The forum’s new BroadbandSuite 4.0 spec – which has been in the works for the past two years – supports IPv6 from core to user, brings IPv6 to all TR-101 network deployments and allows remote management of IPv6 devices, Mersh said.