Vendors utilizing the open source reference implementation of Broadband Forum’s connected home standard, User Services Platform (USP/TR-369), will benefit from easier integration and increased functionality thanks to the latest Open Broadband-USP-Agent (OB-USP-Agent) release from Broadband Forum.
The USP standard continues to be the go-to interoperable ecosystem for the connected home since its inception. Developed by device and infrastructure vendors and operators, the OB-USP-Agent project is a reference implementation that aims to increase the number of USP deployments from operators each year and allows vendors to accelerate their own developments and seamlessly integrate this solution into their service offerings. Currently, the open broadband project brings together 20 industry leading vendors and service providers.
Following the release of the version 1.2 of USP, the OB-USP-Agent project has published Release 5 (Eagle release) and has begun work on Release 6 (Falcon release). The Eagle release rounds out the support for USP Message Transfer Protocols (MTP) with the implementation of the WebSocket MTP. With the included WebSocket MTP feature, OB-USP-Agent now supports all of the defined USP MTPs. MTPs specify how one USP Endpoint can establish a connection to another USP Endpoint and define a common language to enable the USP Endpoints to communicate with each other.
“OB-USP-Agent combines the latest open source software with standards to increase the number of USP deployments and ensure interoperability in the connected home,” said Broadband Forum Chairman and OB-USP-Agent Project Leader John Blackford. “Our latest release incorporates the final unimplemented USP Message Transfer Protocol and highlights the importance of our project work, bringing together collaboration from across the broadband industry. This continues to prove the quality of USP as it supports future standards development and ensures a greater level of device management.”
Setting its keen eye on introducing features from the 1.2 version of USP, the Falcon release has a goal of enabling the open-source community to keep pace with the latest version of the USP specification. The Falcon release will also contain features from the End-to-End Message Exchange security mechanism, which will ensure a more secure USP Agent.
“OB-USP-Agent is a convergence of management planes, generic but also extensible, reliable and supports multiple MTPs to match emerging market demand, which makes it easy to integrate as per different requirements targeting large-scale deployments,” said IOPSYS Lead Architect – Device Management Vivek Dutta.
The OB-USP-Agent project continues to grow and expand in user and vendor participation from those across the industry. With the open-source implementation of the USP standard, interested parties can understand USP and use it as a foundation for their own implementations.
