The FTTH Council Europe has revealed the first edition of the In-home Broadband Excellence (IBE) Guide, which outlines the best possible solutions to get from the fibre entry point to the end-user.
The guide aims to give communication service providers (CSPs) an overview about the different possibilities, provide various options to choose from, and help find the right solutions that would be best adapted to the specific needs of the end-users. It brings together both technology and business aspects, focusing on three fundamental questions:
How to extend fibre performance to the end device?
The guide discusses physical infrastructure options, how to combine them to build a full infrastructure, and what to look out for.
How to manage the user experience?
The guide explains that, to assist the end-user in managing the in-home network, the CSPs will require insight into the home network, and capabilities to help to configure, troubleshoot, advise about and adjust it.
How to add value and monetise it?
The guide looks at the new opportunities offered by the in-home broadband network, not just on a technical basis, but especially also on monetisation.
Eric Festraets, president of the FTTH Council Europe said: ‘With this new IBE guide, we want to emphasise that FTTH deployment does not stop when the fibre reaches the home. When we think about the consumers, we need to remember that for them the most important aspect are the services that they can use thanks to the FTTH. The new In-home Broadband Excellence Guide is a practical tool aimed at ensuring that the consumers can fully benefit from the FTTH – when and how they want and need to do so.’
Vincent Garnier, director general of the FTTH Council Europe added: ‘To ensure that the consumers fully benefit from the FTTH deployment, it is very important to find the right mix of technological solutions throughout the entire home, such as CAT-5e/6 cabling, wifi and other technologies. With this new guide, we are connecting all the dots to ensure that the end-users can experience the opportunities offered by full-fibre connectivity:’
Concluded Maarten Egmond, chair of the FTTH Council Europe In-home Broadband Excellence Committee: ‘Rather than being prescriptive, the guide is intended to be informative. With technology and business aspects of IBE continuously evolving, there is still much more to explore. Therefore, the In-home Broadband Excellence Committee welcomes all inputs and suggestions for future editions of the guide – which will continue to evolve just like the IBE technology and end-user needs.’