ITU-T Newslog - Home Networking

Multiple Silicon vendors demo market readiness for ITU home networking standard

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:13:38 GMT

Four ITU-T G.hn chipset manufacturers converged on Geneva this week to test interoperability between their products. The advanced interoperability demonstrated highlights the maturity of the various vendors' designs and the completeness of the G.hn standard. Experts expect products on the market before the end of the year.

Hosted by ITU, the event was a joint effort of HomeGrid Forum and the Broadband Forum, and the first major opportunity for silicon vendors to test the interoperability of their products for the G.hn home networking standard. The event was facilitated by the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL).

ITU-T G.hn is the first global home networking standard, created to unify home networking services and devices over any wire, including coaxial cable, phone lines or power lines. Lantiq, Marvell, Metanoia, and Sigma Designs participated in the week-long event that covered interoperation in the physical layer.

In parallel, experts met at a workshop designed to ensure that the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) concerns are taken into account in the rollout of the new technology.

Interoperability is key to the success of any new technology, said Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. These events give vendors a unique opportunity to prove to service providers that their products are ready for market. And products conforming to the G.hn specification comply with the most rigorous EMC requirements that ensure they cause no interference to radio services.

HomeGrid is poised to launch a formal Compliance and Interoperability program, bringing HomeGrid certified products to the market this year and giving the industry a new benchmark of technology excellence for wired home networking. Another interoperability event is planned later in the year.

Forum highlights radio interference fears - Non-ITU compliant home network equipment may cause problems

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:56:35 GMT

Geneva, 02 June, 2011 Concerns that home networking products using power line transmission (PLT) technology may cause interference with radio services led to a Forum last week in Geneva to address the issue. ITUs own home networking standard ITU-T G.hn was considered to have electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and mitigation techniques that go well beyond those considered essential for protecting radio services.

Given the variety of electronic devices in our homes, strict EMC requirements are imperative. Over-the-air broadcast services in particular could be subject to interference from PLT systems.

Full press release

Interop event to test home networking spec

Tue, 17 May 2011 08:18:45 GMT

ITU will host an event to test the interoperability of products incorporating its ITU-T G.hn home networking standard, 23-27 May.

Facilitated by the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), an independent provider of broad-based testing and standards conformance services for the networking industry, the event is a joint effort by the HomeGrid Forum and the Broadband Forum.

Members of the Broadband Forum and HomeGrid Forum will be able to submit their chipsets for interoperability testing with other chipsets. Results will further strengthen the test suite and will serve as the proving ground for future events and certification efforts. The intent is to provide a structured approach to multi-vendor interoperability testing.

ITU-T G.hn is the first global home networking standard, created to unify home networking services and devices over any wire, including coaxial cable, phone lines or power lines. The event is driven by vendor interest and the industrys desire to test early silicon and demonstrate G.hn technologys market potential. Multiple G.hn chipset vendors are expected to participate.

Specifically, the goals of this first G.hn Interop event are to launch the organizations formal test program, validate what is being defined in the test suite, and perform early tests for interoperability and compliance of chipsets from a number of vendors. Performance results will be recorded providing valuable feedback to the participating players prior to market entry. This allows for efficient editing to the test plans and helps ensure that products hitting the market are interoperable.

HomeGrid Forum will also hold additional events, in addition to its Compliance & Interoperability Program public interoperability events, compliance/conformance testing, and will eventually issue certification.

ITU group to offer global view of cloud standardization

Mon, 17 May 2010 12:53:26 GMT

Assuring worldwide interoperability is critical to reaping benefits

Geneva, 14 May 2010 - ITU has been tasked with progressing standardization in cloud computing by members and leading CTOs in the ICT space.

A new ITU-T Focus Group on Cloud Computing has been formed to enable a global cloud computing ecosystem where interoperability facilitates secure information exchange across platforms. The group will take a global view of standards activity in the field and will define a future path for greatest efficiency, creating new standards where necessary while also taking into account the work of others and proposing them for international standardization.

Cloud computing speeds and streamlines application deployment without upfront capital costs for servers and storage. For this reason, many enterprises, governments and network/service providers are now considering adopting cloud computing to provide more efficient and cost effective network services.

Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, said: Cloud is an exciting area of ICTs where there are a lot of protocols to be designed and standards to be adopted that will allow people to best manage their digital assets. Our new Focus Group aims to provide some much needed clarity in the area.

Cloud computing deployments are being announced on an almost daily basis. But interoperability, say experts, is a problem. Camille Mendler, Vice President of Research at Yankee Group: Cloud computing is the future of ICTs. It's urgent to address interoperability issues which could stall global diffusion of new services. Collaboration between private and public sectors is required, and ITU is ideally suited to facilitate productive dialogue.

ITU-T study groups were invited to accelerate their work on cloud at the fourth World Telecommunication Policy Forum (Lisbon, 2009) and at an ITU-hosted meeting of CTOs in October 2009. The CTOs highlighted network capabilities as a particular area of concern, where increased services and applications using cloud computing may result in the need for new levels of flexibility in networks to accommodate unforeseen and elastic demands.

Vladimir Belenkovich, Chairman of the ITU Focus Group on Cloud Computing: The Focus Group will investigate requirements for standardization in cloud computing and suggest future study paths for ITU. Specifically, we will identify potential impacts in standards development in other fields such as NGN, transport layer technologies, ICTs and climate change, and media coding.

A first brief exploratory phase will determine standardization requirements and suggest how these may be addressed within ITU study groups. Work will then quickly begin on developing the standards necessary to support the global rollout of fully interoperable cloud computing solutions.

A recently published ITU-T Technology Watch Report titled Distributed Computing: Utilities, Grids and Clouds describes the advent of clouds and grids, the applications they enable, and their potential impact on future standardization.

For further information please contact:

Sarah Parkes
Senior Media Relations Officer
ITU
Tel: +41 22 730 6135
Mobile: +41 79 599 1439
E-mail: mailto: pressinfo@itu.int

Toby Johnson
Senior Communications Officer
ITU
Tel: +41 22 730 5877
Mobile: +41 79 249 4868
E-mail: mailto: toby.johnson@itu.int

ITU introduces Smart Grid standards initiative

Wed, 12 May 2010 14:18:50 GMT

Technology will bring much needed efficiency and flexibility to electricity distribution

Geneva, 12 May 2010 - Some of the worlds biggest ICT companies have tasked a new ITU group with identifying standards needs for the worlds new Smart Grid deployments, which will bring the benefits of digital technology to the existing electricity network.

ITU was asked by key CTOs to accelerate work in the area of Smart Grid at a meeting of high level industry executives in Geneva in October 2009. Agreement between a wider set of ITU members to push forward work in this area was reached at a January 2010 meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG).

While work has been taking place in ITU-T Study Groups on this topic for some time, there was a need to engage with a wider community, said Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. "In this case, the Focus Group allows access to all stakeholders and in particular a key part of the Smart Grid equation the electricity companies themselves.

Les Brown (Lantiq), who will Chair the new Focus Group, agreed. "Through this excellent initiative ITU is bringing all players together in an environment where they can create truly global specifications for the service-aware utilities network of tomorrow. Smart Grid is a dynamic addition to todays energy networks, which will be capable of delivering customizable services on a massive scale; to ensure an efficient global rollout, global standards are a must.

The Smart Grid will consist of solutions based on both current and future telecommunication technologies for command and control, metering, and charging. ITUs new Focus Group will explore these requirements and corresponding standards needs. Further, the idea that Smart Grid principles could apply to the telecommunication system itself could be a topic for discussion.

According to a study by ABI Research, the number of smart electric meters deployed worldwide will rise from a 2009 level of 76 million to reach about 212 million in 2014.

Many governments have earmarked significant portions of their stimulus packages for Smart Grids. In the United States, for example, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has allocated USD 4.5 billion for investments in the Smart Grid. In Europe, the European Parliament has approved an agreement reached by the EU Institutions on a package of legislation to liberalize energy markets, including electricity and gas directives, which require EU member states to ensure the implementation of intelligent metering systems.

The Focus Group on Smart Grid will survey existing national standards initiatives to see whether these can be adopted at an international level, and will also perform a gap analysis to identify new standardization requirements that will then be taken forward by relevant ITU-T Study Groups. This exploratory phase will be relatively short before work starts on the development of the standards necessary to support the global rollout of Smart Grid technologies.

In the field of Smart Grids, ITU experts have already agreed on specifications for Smart Grid products for home networks. The specifications include a low complexity profile that will allow multiple manufacturers to develop products that deliver the low power consumption, low cost, performance, reliability, and security that is required for Smart Grid and other lower bit rate applications.

Members of HomeGrid Forum, an independent body set up to promote ITU-Ts home networking standard, G.hn, are active participants in Smart Grid standardization efforts worldwide, including those led by NIST, IEEE, ISO/IEC, and SAE. In 2009, HomeGrid Forum formed a Smart Grid initiative group, which will help to bring a range of G.hn-based devices to the Smart Grid market and home energy management applications.

George Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States: We recognize the importance of international standards to the success of the smart grid therefore we look forward to coordinating with this Focus Group on defining the scope of ITU-T work related to the smart grid.

For further information please contact:

Sarah Parkes
Senior Media Relations Officer
ITU
Tel: +41 22 730 6135
Mobile: +41 79 599 1439
E-mail: mailto: pressinfo@itu.int

Toby Johnson
Senior Communications Officer
ITU
Tel: +41 22 730 5877
Mobile: +41 79 249 4868
E-mail: mailto: toby.johnson@itu.int

Home Networking standard given smart grid specs

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:48:58 GMT

The ITU-T group working on home networking specifications under the G.hn banner has agreed on some specifications for smart grid products. G.hn is a next generation wired home networking standard developed by ITU-T, which supports high-speed communication over power lines, phone lines and coaxial cable.

The recent agreement included a low complexity profile targeted at smart grid applications. The profile offers a minimum set of G.hn parameters and specifications that define a specific system to meet a targeted range of applications.This will allow multiple manufacturers to develop products that deliver the low power consumption, low cost, performance, reliability, and security that is required for Smart Grid and other lower bit rate applications.

Additionally, the low complexity profile also specifies minimum requirements for features such as signal bandwidth, data modulation methods, transmitter linearity requirements, and forward error correction, or FEC, while maintaining interoperability with fully-featured G.hn products.

Some of the smart grid products that will benefit from G.hn specification include:

Smart Meters
In-Home Displays and smart thermostats
Plug-in Electrical Vehicles and Electrical Vehicle Supply Equipment
Smart household appliances such as washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems
Energy System Interface devices

Smart grid applications that will benefit from G.hn include:

Utility-based Demand Response programs via broadband internet connections or Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems
Remote troubleshooting to minimize cost
Support for realtime demand response systems that compensate users depending on their usage
Flexible control of appliances to reduce power consumption during peak periods

Also agreed was an Appendix to the G.hn standard that provides guidelines for using G.hn in smart grid applications and on how they work with other G.hn-connected consumer devices in the home. The Appendix provides guidance to G.hn product developers and users and describes how G.hn devices can be used as part of application layer Energy Management System software that resides above the G.hn physical layer and data link layer. Additionally, the appendix shows how G.hn smart grid devices interface to a service provider's smart grid access network via the Energy Service interface to support secure end-to-end smart grid services between the service provider and home.

In October, HomeGrid Forum, an independent body set up to promote G.hn announced that the standard has received approval from the National Institute Standards Technology (NIST) for use in various smart grid applications in the US. Given this announcement, HomeGrid Forum formed a smart grid initiative group, which will help to bring a range of G.hn-based devices to the smart grid market and home energy management applications.

ITU voice coding and home networking articles published by IEEE

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:36:53 GMT

ITU voice coding and home networking articles published by IEEE

The latest IEEE Communications Magazine (subscription needed) contains a special feature on ITU-T Coders For Wideband, Superwideband, and Fullband Speech Communication. In addition the issue contains an overview of the new G.hn home networking standard from ITU.

The feature is part of a formalised cooperation between the standardization sector of ITU (ITU-T) and IEEE Communications Society. Also published recently are the best papers from the first Kaleidoscope academic conference.

The articles on speech coding:

New global standard for fully networked home

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:08:25 GMT

The first global standard offering an in-home, high-speed network capable of delivering room-to-room HDTV has been agreed by ITU. The standard, published under the G.hn banner, promises high quality multimedia over power, coaxial, phone and other home wiring. It will give up to 20 times the throughput of existing wireless technologies and three times that of existing wired technologies.

The specifications will be used by chip manufacturers to build transceivers that can be incorporated into set-top boxes, residential gateways, home computers, home audio systems, DVD players, TVs or any other device that might be connected to a network now or in the future. Experts say that silicon companies will immediately start incorporating the specifications into transceivers, implying that G.hn-compliant products could be on the market as early as 2010.

Joyce Putscher, Principal Analyst at market research firm In-Stat, said, Service operators have been looking for an international standard that encompasses multiple existing-wire mediums for video distribution. G.hn meets that requirement and it seems clear that with significant industry backing from service providers, semiconductor and equipment vendors, and the fast rate at which the process is moving to achieve a standard, we will see first equipment by 2010.

Theres a clear market need for a unified networking approach, said Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. With G.hn, every wire in every home around the world can become part of a home entertainment network. This will enable seamless communication between computers, HDTVs and telephones over existing wires. I expect that this exciting new technology will also foster innovations such as energy efficient smart appliances, home automation and telemedicine devices.

Work on G.hn was started at the instigation of service providers looking to extend broadband and video services in the home. As well as its offer of greater speed, it may be bundled as complementary to Wi-Fi where G.hn offers greater coverage, extending, for example, to areas of a house where Wi-Fi does not reach.

The standard has achieved remarkable industry backing even before its publication. An industry group the HomeGrid Forum has been formed specifically to back G.hn. The goal of HomeGrid Forum is to market G.hn worldwide and to create a compliance and interoperability programme to ensure that products based on the standard will operate in any home around the world.

Other industry analysts backing the standard include Michael Wolf, Research Director at ABI Research. If G.hn sees integration into carrier devices by 2010, we expect that some 42 million G.hn-compliant nodes will ship in 2013 in devices such as set-top boxes, residential gateways and other service provider CPE hardware, Wolf said.

A single, unified technology for multimedia networks over power lines, coaxial cable, and phone lines has the potential to enable a simple, easy-to-use means of networking devices in the home, said Kurt Scherf, analyst with market analyst firm Parks Associates. We believe ITUs work is an important step towards eliminating fragmentation in the industry and in achieving the vision of a networked home.

Recommendation ITU-T G.9960 focuses on the physical or PHY layer, giving the data bit rate and quality of service necessary for triple-play residential services as well as business-type services delivered over xDSL, PON, or other access technology. In step with ITU guidelines on new standards development, several power saving modes have been incorporated. Ongoing work is focused on the media access control (MAC) layer.

IPTV experts host webinar

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:04:31 GMT

ITU-T IPTV experts Ghassem Koleyni and Simon Jones will lead a live web seminar (webinar) on IPTV standardization, May 7 at 1600 CET.

Click here to register, for the webinar hosted by industry analyst Heavy Reading. By registering you will be able to listen to and take part in discussion as well as view presentation slides.

Koleyni and Jones will present standardization from an ITU perspective with experts from other standards bodies, including the DSL Forum and ATIS, explaining how they have worked with ITU to produce the first set of global IPTV specifications, available here. Malcolm Johnson, Director ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau said: I encourage anyone involved in the deployment of IPTV services at any level to take this opportunity to learn about this important set of standards as well as quiz our experts on the topic.

We have already seen first generation IPTV services and as these mature we may see a change in regulation or market demand that will require interoperation between service and/or network providers. A potential outcome of this will be that a customer can go into shop, buy an IPTV box, call their network operator and sign-up and then access services from a range of third party service providers. It is to meet that need that the value of ITUs work on standardisation will be realised.

If you cant join the live event registration will give access to an archive file of the event.

ITU announces first global set of standards for IPTV

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:59:49 GMT

Press release

2007: A year in review

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:38:32 GMT

Click here for a document detailing some ITU-T highlights for 2007.

IPTV and HDTV advances

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:55:21 GMT

Study Group 9 consented Recommendations on IPTV and advanced HDTV proposals during meetings held Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, Louisville, Colorado.

The meeting saw participation from all around the world with several delegates from developing countries including Kenya, India and Trinidad and Tobago.

Recommendation J.700 - IPTV Service Requirements and Framework for Secondary Distribution - defines service level requirements and an architectural framework for telecommunication networks to provide new services based on IPTV. It refers to "secondary distribution" which means use of a transmission channel for distribution of video/audio programs to users at large, for example by an over-the-air broadcast channel or by means of a fiber or cable network.

The Recommendation is extensive and includes requirements for network elements as well as customer premises equipment (CPE), including middleware application interfaces which consist of software libraries that provide uniform access to system services. It leverages existing deployed technologies, such as MPEG, DOCSIS, GEM (Globally Executable MHP), and IPCablecom to provide a smooth path for operators to integrate IPTV technology into their networks. While in the process of developing this Recommendation considerable liaison with other Study Groups and the IPTV Focus Group was carried out.

In addition to the IPTV work, Recommendations relating to second - and third - generation IPCablecom were consented. Equipment based on IPCablecom Recommendations, such as modems, set-top boxes, signalling equipment, interactive television application platform interfaces, digital program insertion, and others have had widespread implementation in networks in Asia, Europe, and North America.

The new Recommendations add to a suite of more than 25 which have been developed for cable and hybrid networks primarily designed for television and sound program delivery to the home.

Large screen digital imagery (LSDI) is a family of digital imagery systems that includes very large screen presentation of programmes similar to the non-digital IMAX and OMNIMAX systems. LSDI is described as an optimal approach to the presentation of high-definition television (HDTV) programmes, to a collective audience on cinema-like screens in a cinema-like environment. An earlier approved Recommendation J.600 addresses use of a broadband service or channel for transferring audio or video information to a production center where post-production processing may take place before subsequent distribution. At this meeting work towards a new Recommendation - Network Service Operator's Requirements for Real-time Transmission of exLSDI Signals under Parallel Processing Functionality - was significantly progressed. This Recommendation is related to the transport of program signals conforming to the higher levels of the LSDI expanded hierarchy as used for contribution and primary distribution. The term contribution means use of a broadband service or channel for transferring audio or video information to a production center where post-production processing may take place before subsequent distribution. Primary distribution is the use of a transmission channel for transferring audio and/or video information from a production center to one or several destination points; for example, to a broadcast transmitting center or the headend of a cable distribution network. Work on LSDI takes place with interactions between ITU-T Study Group 9, ITU-R Study Group 6, and other bodies external to the ITU.

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Home networking progress in June

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:48:58 GMT

At the June 2007 meeting of ITU-T SG15, work continued on a draft new Recommendation to develop a single international standard for home networking transceivers using any metallic media in the home phoneline wiring, data cable (e.g. CAT5), coaxial cable or powerline wiring.

Household connectivity is growing rapidly with more and more electronic devices and networks within the home distributing and using digital information and media. In addition, remote control of lighting, heating, appliance-use and security systems attached to the home are making the "digital home" a reality.

Work in ITU-T is coordinated by the Joint Coordination Activity on Home Networking (JCA-HN). Topics covered across the 13 different Study Groups of ITU-T include digital rights management (DRM), phone-line networking (including co-ax), IPTV, interactive video, set top box architecture and cable modems.

The work on ITU-T Rec - G.hn - next generation home networking transceivers - has now attracted a critical mass of contributors/participants with nine companies submitting 20 contributions on various topics. It is anticipated that G.hn will be completed in 2008.

Also at the June 2007 meeting of ITU-T SG15, it was agreed to start work on a draft new Recommendation G.hnta on home network transport architecture. The Rec will give a generic architecture based on the NGN functional architecture described in Recommendation Y.2012 Next Generation Networks Frameworks and functional architecture models It will describe a platform for the development of future home network standards. The draft Recommendation G.hnta is complementary to draft Recommendation H.ghna currently under development by SG16.

Key architecture and requirements documents for IPTV progressed

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 08:14:44 GMT

Standards that will ease the wide spread rollout of video over IP networks took a step forward in January.

IPTV architecture and requirements, two fundamentally important areas in standards work were progressed at a recent meeting of the ITU-T Focus Group on IPTV. There was general consensus in the meeting that FG IPTV will successfully develop documents which will accelerate introduction of IPTV to the global market. Setting the architecture and requirements in stone allows the rest of the work to continue with greater ease.

Meeting at the Microsoft conference center, Mountain View California , at the invitation of the Alliance for Telecom Industry Standards (ATIS) the group saw a record number of contributions and experts worked often late to keep up with the workload. Nearly 90 documents were dealt with in the fields of architecture and requirements alone.

Malcolm Johnson, newly elected Director of ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Bureau said in a message he sent to the event: The excellent cooperation between ITU-T and ATIS is an example of the spirit of cooperation that I believe now pervades in the standards world... From what I have seen there is a great deal to be satisfied by in terms of the progress that FG IPTV has achieved so far.

In opening comments, ATIS President & CEO Susan Miller shared with the 200 meeting attendees that IPTV is serving as a change agent for the industry, and as both the business case and principal driver for accelerating deployment of the next generation network. Miller noted that for North American service providers in particular, IPTV is a critical ingredient to bundled service offerings that encompass television services, mobile services, Internet access, and much more. We have seen in the last decade, enormous investments in broadband, and fiber deployments to the home and to the premise, said Miller.

Also important a document outlining terms and definitions in the field was created. While seemingly mundane this work is crucially important in ensuring consistency of comprehension in an area where many standards outlining different aspects of IPTV will co-exist.

Further discussion is expected on whether and how to treat the issue of redistribution of content to a point past an IPTV terminal device, and, in particular, how content protection and content management functions can or should apply in a home network environment.

Other issues examined and progressed were accessibility issues for people with disabilities, AV codecs and content format requirements. Output (and other) documents can be seen here.

The next meeting of FG IPTV will be held from 7 to 11 May 2007 in Bled , Slovenia .

Study Group 9: The Movie

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:53:31 GMT

At Study Group 9s last meeting: Tokyo , 2-6 October, 2006, Mayumi Matsumoto, Rapporteur for Q.5/9 made a short video giving an excellent introduction to the Study Groups work.

The movie contains footage of a demonstration of technologies for emerging broadband services in the home including interviews with some of the exhibitors.

Its a unique insight into a Study Group meeting and the events surrounding it. Watch it here.

Set-top box Recommendations approved

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 08:47:58 GMT

Three new Recommendations providing architecture for advanced set-top boxes have been approved by Study Group 9.

The Recommendations (J.290-J.292) take into account advances in technologies and architectures for delivery of multiple types of services including video, voice and data. The three include a core Recommendation along with two adjuncts which provide for a cable solution and a media independent solution. The core document (J.290) describes key functional aspects of the next generation set-top box (STB), such as configurable security including downloadable conditional access, advanced codecs, video over IP, QoS control and extension of these functions to in-home networks.

J.291 describes the cable network architecture component of the next-generation STB. When combined with companion Recommendation J.290 the architecture defines a cost-efficient platform with capacity and flexibility to support growth of on-demand video, high definition digital TV, managed in-home networks connecting a wide range of consumer-provided devices, and future IP multimedia services including IP voice, video telephony, and multiplayer gaming. It reflects key functional aspects of the next generation cable STB, such as a common application platform (globally executable MHP (Multimedia Home Platform), which is the common core among OCAP (OpenCable project), MHP and ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses), MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group) transport including advanced compression technology, and downloadable conditional access (configurable security).

J.292 describes a core architecture that is not dependent on transport media for a next generation STB which will allow service providers to offer existing and new advanced services regardless of the transport media. In this Recommendation it is assumed that all contents are transported on IP packets with an adequate QoS controlled mechanism. The Recommendation reflects key functional aspects of the next generation STB, such as network resource adaptability, secure two-way authenticated communication and session resource management and a QoS-control mechanism.

Next generation cable modem work starts

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 08:46:43 GMT

Three new Recommendations from ITU-Ts Study Group 9 provide the first steps towards the next generation of cable modems. According to SG insiders new cable modems will boost bandwidth, increase security and provide greater flexibility overall for network operators to deploy data services.

Recommendations J.210-J.212 provide a basis for modularizing cable modem termination systems (CMTS) and were designed as an extension to the DOCSIS Recommendations to allow for flexibility and independent scaling of certain CMTS functions.

DOCSIS (data over cable service interface specifications) defined in Recommendations J.112 and J.122 - specifies transmission systems for interactive cable television services - IP cable modems. It defines the requirements for the two fundamental components that comprise a high-speed data-over-cable system: the cable modem (CM) and the CMTS.

The modular-CMTS (M-CMTS) architecture splits the CMTS function into three fundamental components: the M-CMTS Core, the EQAM (downstream modulator), and the Timing Server. Inasmuch as the modular components may be located on different chassis, and potentially at different physical locations, the new Recommendation J.211 (Timing Interface for CMTS) provides the robust and highly accurate transport of timing signals from the Timing Server to the other components of the M-CMTS network in order to ensure that the system components work in lock-step.

Recommendation J.212 defines the protocol used to tunnel downstream user data across an Ethernet network between the M-CMTS Core and EQAM. Finally, the new Recommendation J.210 defines the downstream physical layer modulator requirements for the EQAM.

Another new Recommendation in the DOCSIS series, J.213, describes requirements on both CMTSs and CMs in order to implement a Layer-2 Virtual Private Network feature which allows operators to offer a Transparent LAN Service along the lines of Carrier Ethernet.

IP Cablecom 2 among SG 9 announcements

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 08:44:54 GMT

ITU-Ts Study Group 9 has approved an array of Recommendations in several areas including broadband IP multimedia services and next generation digital set top box architectures.

Study Group experts say that the advancements will greatly extend the service capabilities of broadband cable and other networks. The Recommendations were approved by ITU-T Study Group 9, Integrated Broadband Cable Networks and Television and Sound Transmission, during its October meeting in Tokyo .

SG 9s Recommendations include key work in IPCablecom2, modular CMTS (cable modem termination systems), next generation video set-tops, and architecture for deploying an IP multicast video distribution network using network layer route diversity.

IPCablecom is a project initiated by SG 9 several years ago on time-critical interactive services over cable television networks using IP. It is a suite of Recommendations (J.160-178) which provides for telephony, and J.179 (IPCablecom Multi Media), which creates a bridge that allows for the expansion into a full range of multi-media services.

IPCablecom2 is contained in a new suite of Recommendations (J.360-363 and J.365-366) and is designed to support the convergence of voice, video, data, and mobility technologies through a modular non-service specific approach. This modular approach allows operators flexibility to deploy network capabilities as required by their specific service offerings, while maintaining interoperability across a variety of devices from multiple suppliers.

These new Recommendations define an architecture and a set of open interfaces that leverage emerging communications technologies, such as the session initiation protocol (SIP), to support the rapid introduction of new IP-based services onto the cable network. IPCablecom2 is also based on Release 6 of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), as developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which is a SIP-based architecture for providing multimedia services.

New Home Networking Spec

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 10:10:49 GMT

ITU-Ts Study Group 15 has consented on a revision to a home networking specification that increases data rates over existing home wiring to 320 Megabits per second.

The original standard (ITU-T Recommendation G.9954) is based on input from the HomePNA alliance. The revision adds home networking over existing coax cables to networking over phone wires. The revision also includes new operating spectrums adding VDSL coexistence to the ADSL, POTS and broadcast TV channel spectrum coexistence provided by the original standard.

G.9954 facilitates interoperability and convergence of all networked IP data in the home by creating open, interoperable standards and best practices for a universal home networking market. Telephone service providers have collaborated with residential gateway, set-top box, bridge, consumer electronics (CE) equipment, and ONT manufacturers, as well as their component providers, to meet consumer demand for bundled multimedia home networking.

Home networking bandwidth requirements will steadily increase as operators deliver multi-stream high-definition content, upgrade last-mile access network technologies, and provision future IP-based services. Leveraging existing home wires, service providers can reduce installation, operational expenses and even end-user costs. Experts say that 320 Mbps can accommodate the future bandwidth requirements of service providers as they enhance their offerings with additional features and capabilities.

Home Broadband Services Demo For SG 9 Tokyo Meeting

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 08:32:36 GMT

ITU-T Study Group 9 will host a demonstration of technologies for emerging broadband services in the home during its next meeting.

The event will take place at the Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo , October 2 (1600-2000) and 3 (0900-1700), with October 3 being open to the public.

Among the technologies represented are the interactive video, video and VoIP enabled by the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) which is embedded in ITU-T Recommendation J.202 and high-speed pre-DOCSIS 3.0 (ITU-T Recommendation J.122). Internet access; home networking of video and data, service management for a cable quad play (video, wireless, voice and data); multiple advanced video applications and a high-speed broadband download video service.

This will be a very powerful exhibit of technology enabling advanced broadband capabilities as well as some of the latest broadband applications, many of which are deployed by cable companies in markets around the world, said Study Group 9 Chairman Dr. Richard R. Green, President and CEO of CableLabs.

Eighteen companies from around the world will be part of the demonstration with an emphasis on technologies that support emerging services in consumers households. Among the demonstrating companies are: Alticast, Arcwave, ARRIS International Japan, Arroyo, BigBand Networks, Brix, Digital Keystone, Entropic, Gallery IP, Hitron Technologies, Integra5, J:COM, KDDI Labs, NDS, NEC, PerfTech, Sigma Systems and VectroMAX .

SG 9s meeting will consider new Recommendations for IPCablecom 2.0, DOCSIS 3.0, advanced set-top box for the reception of cable television and other services, and other Internet Protocol services.

Vote for the most influential standards work from ITU-T

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 07:05:08 GMT

As part of celebrations for the 50^th anniversary of ITU-T, you are invited to vote for the most influential standards work from ITU-T.

ITU work is behind many of the worlds most prevalent information and communications technologies. Choose here from our shortlist which you think has best shaped the ICT world of today, or feel free to suggest your own idea.

IPTV Focus Group Announced

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 18:02:38 GMT

ITU will take the lead in international standardization for IPTV with the announcement that it is to form a Focus Group on IPTV (IPTV FG).

The announcement, while acknowledging that standards work is ongoing in many different places, including ITU, is a reaction to an industry call for ITU to push forward and coordinate global standardization effort in the field.

IPTV is a system where a digital television service is delivered to consumers using the Internet protocol over a broadband connection. It will help pave the way for players, many of whom are already moving to IP-based NGN infrastructure, to offer a triple-play of video, voice and data.

Standards are necessary in order to give service providers, whether traditional broadcasters, ISPs or telecoms service providers, control over their platforms and their offerings. Standards here will encourage innovation, help mask the complexity of services, guarantee QoS, ensure interoperability and ultimately help players remain competitive.

The mission of IPTV FG is to coordinate and promote the development of global IPTV standards taking into account the existing work of the ITU study groups as well as SDOs, fora and consortia.

The group was launched following a decision taken at a public consultation meeting attended by around 120 experts from the worlds ICT companies. Attendees agreed that all players in the IPTV value chain will benefit from worldwide standards, that there is a lot of work to be done and that rapid progress is necessary in order to avoid market fragmentation. The Focus Group mechanism was seen as the most effective way of addressing this. Inputs to the meeting as well as a webcast can be found here.

Houlin Zhao, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau of ITU: We have seen a desire to expedite and accelerate a global focus on standards for IPTV. There has been extraordinary consensus that ITU must lead this work and I am pleased that again - ITU is seen as the right place to develop and harmonize this international standardization work, as well as identify and help fill gaps where there is still a standardization need.

Bilel Jamoussi, Director Strategic Standards, Nortel, said: Industry applauds ITUs initiative to create this Focus Group and will contribute to its success.

The FG will build upon existing work. Its scope will include architecture and requirements, QoS, security, network and control aspects, end system aspects terminals etc., interoperability, middleware and application platforms.

Industry Groups Call For Global Standards To Shape The Digital Home

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:00:12 GMT

International standards that enable interoperability and security in the field of home networking are seen as key to bringing value and versatility to consumers, making possible the use of diverse products, services and sources, and therefore accelerating market development. This was the key conclusion of a successful World Standards Cooperation (WSC) workshop bringing together some 100 experts from industry, the academic community and standards developing organizations, in Geneva , Switzerland , on 2 and 3 February 2006.

The Geneva event provided an overview of these technologies as well as an examination of standards that address access, services, performance, quality of service (QoS), electromagnetic interference, digital rights management (DRM), security issues and overall networking.

Representatives from more than 15 leading industry groups, such as DNLA, DSL Forum and Zigbee, called for closer cooperation between the WSC partners, standards developing organizations (SDOs) and industry consortia. They also agreed that similar events designed to allow for the open exchange of ideas should be held in the future, in view of improving coordination and avoiding duplication of work.

ITU-T's Joint Co-ordination Activity on Home Networking JCA-HN was recognized by participants as an important vehicle for coordination. The JCA-HN was set up to harmonize work going on across ITU-T Study Groups and to identify what exactly needs to be standardized in the field aiming to produce a roadmap outlining this activity.

Houlin Zhao, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), ITU, wrapped up the workshop by reminding delegates of the history of successful cooperation between IEC, ITU and ISO. The three organizations, he said, are committed to promoting and harmonizing the international standardization system, strengthening cooperation among themselves and with all partners concerned. He encouraged the members of the three organizations to support efforts at the international level, as well as the national and company level.

Opening the two-day event, IEC General Secretary Aharon Amit said that the market, innovation, safety and regulation and competition drive international standards. Chief technical officers, he said, were the best-placed people to decide what is needed and when and this allows the IEC to do its work. In short, Mr. Amit said, "we're seeking guidance from you on what we're doing, what we're doing well, what we're not doing well and what we should be doing."

In his closing remarks, ISO Secretary-General, Alan Bryden indicated that: "At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, convergence of information and communication technologies and services for the benefit of consumers was highlighted as a key development, as well as a manifestation of the knowledge revolution, at the centre of the 'creative imperative'". He added that "International Standards have a major role to play" and - referring to the work of IEC, ITU and ISO - "we, ourselves need to converge".

The two-day workshop reviewed the current state-of-the-art in home digital technology from a standardization perspective. Representatives from 14 leading electronics manufacturers, 10 leading systems service providers, academics and standards bodies examined the situation and needs for standards in relation to:

· Ways in which digital services are delivered to the home;

· In-home networking;

· How content is managed;

· How equipment is managed;

· Best practices.

Emphasis was placed on trends concerning broadband technologies, the way to ensuring connectivity and interoperability of devices within home networks and on the development of many new application areas - for example, ways in which recent technology can offer non-intrusive monitoring of those with diagnosed medical conditions, or of the elderly.

The World Standards Cooperation (WSC) aims to reinforce, and promote the voluntary consensus based International Standards system of ISO, IEC and ITU.

Results of WSC workshop on 'Digital technologies in the home' (Geneva, 2-3 February, 2006)

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:30:15 GMT

New JCA-HN document: Results of WSC workshop on 'Digital technologies in the home' (Geneva, 2-3 February, 2006)

Joint Co-ordination Activity on Home Networking (JCA-HN)

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 16:42:16 GMT

With the agreement of the TSAG meeting 14-18 March 2005, a Joint Coordination Activity on Home Networking (JCA-HN) was established. Mr. Andrew Nunn (BT, UK) was appointed as the Convenor of this activity.

The scope of the JCA-HN was decided following a meeting held immediately after the ITU-T workshop Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking, 13 14 October 2005, Geneva and discussions at the TSAG meeting 7-11 November 2005. The name Home Network Initiative will be used to describe work in this field spanning ITU-T Study Groups.

JCA-HN will:

Co-ordinate the Home Network Initiative activity across all the relevant ITU-T Study Groups (e.g. currently ITU-T SGs 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17) and liaise with relevant ITU-R SGs (currently, SGs 1 and 6).
Seek cooperation from external bodies working in the field and disseminate information received from these bodies to the relevant ITU-T Study Groups.
Identify what should be standardized by ITU-T
Prepare a roadmap for this standardization activity

Work on Home Networking Progressed at Geneva Event

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 08:48:32 GMT

A workshop on home networking will move standardization work in the area to a crucial new stage according to participants. The event held by ITU in Geneva 13-14 October followed a similar 2004 ITU-T Study Group 9 Tokyo workshop, and closed with agreement on how to move forward in a number of key areas. Meeting concurrently was the Home Networking-Joint Coordination Activity (HN-JCA), a group of ITU-T experts aiming to coordinate standardization effort on home networking across ITU-T Study Groups.

Home networking is the linking of all types of electronic devices for applications such as entertainment, telecommunication, home automation systems and telemetry (remote control and monitoring systems), see below for the official ITU definition. It has become an increasingly important topic for standardizers, partly because of the disparate nature of the items to be networked and partly because of market pressure. US organization CTAM (Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing), estimates that 40 percent of broadband customers want to share audio over the home network and 36 percent want to share video.

One of the key conclusions of the workshop is that there needs to be better collaboration between the various groups involved in the work. Ralph W. Brown, Chief Technology Officer, CableLabs and presenter at the event: Through better coordination and closer working relationship, we can avoid the proliferation of incompatible standards. It is critical for ITU to facilitate working relationships and open the door to referencing the specifications of other organizations from international standards it was agreed. To this end, Reinhard Scholl, Deputy to the Director of ITUs Telecommunication Standardization Bureau gave a presentation highlighting the various ways that ITU can accommodate the work of other bodies. Participants welcomed the degree of flexibility offered by ITU.

One option outlined by Scholl and discussed as a possible next step is the formation of an ITU-T Focus Group to work on some of the technical issues. The Focus Group concept allows urgent standardization needs that are not addressed within existing ITU‑T structure to be addressed quickly and with the minimum of red-tape. Currently a group, the Home Networking-Joint Coordination Activity (HN-JCA), exists to harmonize work going on across ITU-T Study Groups but its mandate does not extend to technical work. More

Home Networking Challenge Met by Study Group 9

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 08:35:20 GMT

Study Group 9 has consented a Recommendation that establishes the concept of a digital rights management (DRM) bridge on a home network. DRM has been identified as a key issue to deal with in home networking, as well as an important driver for the technology (see story on home networking workshop). With standards in place, it is felt that many more key manufacturers may enter the market.

DRM is a term that refers to technical methods used to control or restrict the use of digital media content on electronic devices. So for instance a music file purchased from the Internet may be embedded with DRM to ensure that it is only used by the purchaser. Essentially it gives the service provider the assurance that its content is not used in a manner that is a violation of service agreements or legal requirements.

DRM in home networking is seen as a particularly important issue to resolve where a user can store and distribute content among various home-networked devices. A bridge will mean that from a users perspective their digital purchases can be played on all networked devices without trouble.

Experts said that key goals for the implementation of a DRM bridge are ensuring that it is sufficiently robust from the content providers point of view, but also equally important is that it is non-intrusive from the subscribers point of view.

The Recommendation is ITU-T J.197 (formerly J.drm), High level requirements for a digital rights management bridge to a Home Network.

World's Standards Leaders Meet in France

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 08:01:36 GMT

Leaders from the leading national and regional telecommunications and radio standards organizations and a delegation from ITU consisting of both high-level secretariat staff and Study Group chairs met 28 August - 2 September, at The Tenth Global Standards Collaboration meeting (GSC-10).

The mission of the GSC is to exchange information between participating standards organizations to facilitate collaboration and to support the process of global telecommunication standardization in the ITU. The event was hosted by ETSI in Sophia Antipolis, France.

Participants at GSC-10 included the Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF), Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) of Japan, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) from the US, the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), the Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) of Japan, the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) of Korea, the ICT Standards Advisory Council of Canada (ISACC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Guests and observers included representatives from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and: the Sector Board 4 of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Specific resolutions on the following topics were agreed at the meeting:

Next-Generation Networks
Mapping Standards for "Systems Beyond IMT 2000"
Cybersecurity
Home Networking
Emergency Communications
Broadband Services in Rural and Remote Areas
Open Standards
Facilitating Liaison in relation to Measurement Methodologies for Assessing Human Exposure to RF Energy
Wireless access including RLANs, Ad-Hoc Networking and Broadband Wireless Access
Supporting Automotive Crash Notification ("ACN") by Public Wireless Communications Networks
Radio Microphones and Cordless Audio Devices
RFID Systems, Services and Networking
Public Protection & Disaster Relief
Ultra Wide Band
Intellectual Property Rights Policies
User Interest Working Group

Other areas discussed were:

Location-based Services
Internet Protocol over Wireless
Software defined radio & Cognitive radio
Digital Broadcasting including mobile multimedia applications
Satellite services

ITU maintains a repository of documents relating to this and all past GSC meetings.

Workshop to Focus on Standards in Home Networking

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 08:27:20 GMT

Home Networking, the linking of all types of electronic devices for applications such as entertainment, telecommunication, home automation systems and telemetry (remote control and monitoring systems), is attracting a great deal of interest. And given the wide range of previously unrelated technologies involved, standards that allow for interoperability are seen as key to the successful marketing of the concept. However, thus far, despite many initiatives, a lack of standardization has stifled the market. And, many believe that for the new technology to take-off, a consolidation of the various standardization efforts is necessary.

This workshop will bring together experts from all over the world who are pushing forward the frontiers of this fast moving field. It will provide an overview of the technology as well as an examination of standards that address access, services, performance, quality of service (QoS), electromagnetic interference and security issues. The workshop will deal with current technology and future trends to provide a framework for moving forward standardization work.

More details.

Exhibition during the Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking Workshop

Thu, 18 Aug 2005 09:36:17 GMT

The ITU-T Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking Workshop (13-14 October 2005, Geneva) will allow for a small exhibition where companies and organizations can present some small equipment to illustrate various aspects of the workshop topic(s). The exhibition will take place in front of the meeting room in the 2nd basement of the ITU Tower building of the ITU Headquarters in Geneva.

If you plan to participate at the Exhibition, kindly fill out the Exhibition Participation Form and return it to the TSB by 16 September 2005.

General information and time schedule

Requests for participation must be sent to tsbworkshops@itu.int with the Exhibition Participation Form filled out. The deadline for requests is 16 September 2005.
Exhibition space is limited and available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
The installation of stands will be done on Thursday, 12 October 2005 from 08:00 (one day before the Workshop starts). Exhibitors arriving on the 13 October 2005 (1st day of the Workshop) can set up on that day if they have reserved a place.
The exhibition will run from 09:00 to 18:00 during the 1st day (13 October 2005). On the 2nd day (14 October 2005), dismantling should start after 16:00 and must finish by 18:00. You should arrange for your equipment to be picked up on Friday, 14 October 2005, from 18:00.

More on the Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking Workshop

ICT in Cars Panel Meets

Fri, 08 Jul 2005 13:06:03 GMT

The advisory panel for standards cooperation on telecommunications related to motor vehicles (APSC TELEMOV) met recently in Geneva .

The meeting followed up on some of the recommendations of the recent ITU-T workshop The Fully Networked Car - a Workshop on ICT in Motor Vehicles. Specifically this involved the developing of an action plan and a number of agreements for participation in other events as well as increased cooperation with other players in the field.

According to Paul Najarian Director of Telecommunication and Standards, for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), the advisory panel has already seen much success in terms of enhancing cooperation between ITU, ISO, ETSI, and others.

Importantly, Najarian said the group is already witnessing close cooperation between ITU-T Study Group 12 and ISO/TC22 on vehicles in the area of HMI (human machine interface). This cooperation will lead to the submission of a study Question to SG12. Another study Question on eCall (emergency call notification) will be submitted to an ITU-T study group, although it has not been decided which one.

Given the similarities between vehicular networks and home networks, the group has agreed to participate and provide speakers for the October 2005 workshop Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking. It also expects to participate and provide speakers for the 2006 workshop on RFID. Additionally an advisory group representative will speak on ITS and multimedia at the upcoming ITU-T Study Group 16 meeting.

Participants have also agreed to cooperate with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in order to develop a world report on ITS Standards.

Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking

Mon, 04 Jul 2005 15:51:05 GMT

Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking
Geneva, 13 - 14 October 2005

Introduction

ITU-T will host a Workshop entitled Opportunities and Challenges in Home Networking on 13-14 October 2005 in Geneva.

Home Networking is the linking of all types of electronic devices for applications such as entertainment, telecommunication, home automation systems and telemetry (remote control and monitoring systems). And given the wide range of previously unrelated technologies involved, standards that allow for interoperability are seen as key to the successful marketing of the concept.

The event is organized by Study Group 9, in cooperation with several other ITU-T Study Groups and organizations outside of ITU. It follows the Workshop on Home Networking and Home Services held 17-18 June 2004, Tokyo.

Study Group 9 has been working on standardization in home networking systems for more than four years. It has already approved three Recommendations in the field. A current focus is a new Recommendation that will specify ways to bridge conditional access systems (that ensure payment in pay TV for example) to digital rights management (DRM) systems, an important step toward smooth operation of fully integrated home networking.

More

Technical Tutorials Given at Recent ITU-T Meeting

Wed, 22 Jun 2005 10:25:50 GMT

Two technical sessions were given at the last meeting of Study Group 5 in Geneva . Study Group 5 is the ITU-T group that looks at protection against electromagnetic environment effects. Technical sessions are tutorials on a specific subject that aim to provide background for the preparation of new standards (ITU-T Recommendations) on these topics.

The first session was on security, and was presented by William Radasky, Chairman of IEC SC 77C (high power transient phenomena). Radaskys lectures dealt with electromagnetic threats such as high power electromagnetic phenomena and its effect on systems and mitigation methods. This will help SG5 prepare recommendations to protect telecommunication systems against malicious man-made high power transient phenomena. Radasky also detailed IECs work which will help ITU-T experts avoid duplication of their work.

The second session was on home networking and was in collaboration with Study Group 9. The SG 9 contribution was in the areas of architecture, transport technology, security, quality of service and management of home networks. SG 5s contributions were in the areas of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), electromagnetic security and electromagnetic emission issues in the home environment.

Home Phone Networking Standards Progress

Fri, 13 May 2005 14:30:08 GMT

A new international standard from ITU-T looks set to help take home phoneline networking technology into the mainstream.

Home phone networking is a simple way to network devices such as computers, printers, games machines etc. in the home. It uses existing internal - telephone line - infrastructure and so is available to anyone with more than one phone in their home. Data rates up to 128 Mbps (240 Mbps with optional extensions) are achievable with the technology according to the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) upon whose specifications some of ITU-T's standards are based.

ITU-T Recommendation G.9954 is the latest in a series of ITU-T Recommendations (including G.989.1, G.989.2 and G.989.3) in the area and outlines interoperability and compatibility issues for phoneline networking transceivers. Specifically it gives enhanced physical, media access, and link layer specifications for the devices.

A number of manufacturers are already incorporating ITU-T specifications into their phoneline networking products.

Home Networking Event Announced

Thu, 12 May 2005 18:10:49 GMT

ITU-T is to host a Workshop on Home Networking Systems, 13-14 October 2005 in Geneva.

The event will be jointly organized by Study Groups 9 and 12, in cooperation with several other ITU Study Groups and organizations outside of ITU. It follows the Workshop on Home Networking and Home Services held 17-18 June 2004, Tokyo.