The Broadband Forum has published its User Services Platform (USP), a new standard for deploying and managing all types of devices in the broadband home. An evolution of the TR-069 standard, the new platform offers a unified, common approach to deploy and manage network-aware consumer electronics, such as home and enterprise Wi-Fi and IoT devices, so devices from different suppliers all work on the same standard.
USP makes use of the same data models as TR-069, but instead of having a single Auto Configuration Server, allows for control of multiple endpoints by multiple users. As a result, IoT devices, Wi-Fi, set-top boxes and other gateways can be controlled by anyone in the household, and permission levels for service providers can be created to allow any necessary updates or troubleshooting of the network and devices connected to it. The system should make it easier to add new devices and virtual services, as well as improve customer support thanks to remote monitoring.
Work on the USP specification was carried out by the Broadband User Services Work Area at the Broadband Forum, which is led by co-directors John Blackford of Arris and Jason Walls of QA Cafe. Other participants in developing the standard included AT&T, Axiros, Google, Greenwave Systems, Huawei, NEC, Nokia and Orange.
