By Manuel Paul, President and Service Requirements Work Area Director for the Broadband Forum
In today's fast-paced digital age, the broadband network stands as the indispensable backbone of our connected world, fulfilling a critical role for the user - whether that be an individual, organization or application that consumes broadband services.
While network capacity and speed remain important offerings, they are no longer the primary drivers or address key challenges for broadband service providers (BSPs). So, to differentiate from competitors, continue to deliver value to existing customers and attract new ones, the industry must look to innovate in other areas. The key opportunity lies with prioritizing the end-user Quality of Experience (QoE).
To support end-user requirements in an evolving landscape of new devices and use cases, it is important that the broadband network becomes more dynamic and offers service-aware and application-appropriate QoE depending on the service or application in use.
Broadband Forum’s Service Requirements Work Area has been established to identify user needs and the technical innovation required to address them, to ultimately help BSPs deliver greater value to their customers. Aligned with the Broadband Forum’s strong focus on services-led broadband, the work area aims to guide the industry in driving innovation and adapting to evolving needs - such as a move away from the speed-first approach and place greater focus on QoE.
User requirements outpacing speed
Although, speed and price are still decisive differentiators for BSPs and their customers, the industry has begun to strategically evolve from connectivity-driven business models to intelligent, services-led networks as we enter a new era in broadband.
The home and business are now a hotspot for a variety of connected devices and services, such as IoT, streaming, video conferencing, and increasingly immersive platforms. To truly benefit from and enjoy these services, end-users require much more than fast speeds from their broadband network.
With consumer expectations growing and the responsibility of poor online experience often falling on the BSP, this perfectly positions them to capitalize on the full potential of broadband beyond traditional services.
Focussing on the user
A ‘services-led’ broadband approach supports the industry’s shift in focus from just providing connectivity and fast speeds to delivering a richer, more tailored broadband experience for the end-user with value added services.
Instead of solely relying on speed as a differentiator, in a services-led ecosystem, BSPs prioritize QoE, offering services such as low-latency gaming, smart home integration, and enhanced customer support. This approach will help BSPs increase ARPU and reduce customer churn by offering customized service packages based on user needs.
But for the industry to capitalize on service-led offerings and their monetary potential, it must recognize the critical role that standards play in not only ensuring interoperability, but recognizing the users’ needs and the innovations required to meet them.
Defining the requirements for a ‘services-led’ future
While these innovations are already addressed by multiple Broadband Forum technical work areas, the new Service Requirements Work Area will focus on defining precise, actionable service requirements to address real-world broadband challenges. The group’s work will also align with evolving industry priorities, all while making sure that the user experience is the key consideration and remains central to all future projects.
Embedded within the Broadband Forum Technical Committee, the Service Requirements Work Area operates under our regular contribution-driven processes. It functions as the gateway and guide for Broadband Forum’s broader initiatives and work areas – including its Marketing Committee and Technical Committee - creating a foundation for future advancements and innovations in services-led broadband. The Services Requirement Work Area will aim to:
- Develop standardized service requirements specifications across all Broadband Forum domains - from subscriber networks and access networks to core networks
- Perform studies for network services or technologies, through surveys, review of new use cases, trial deployments, or member discussions.
- Define service requirements on the network for the network operator, open access / wholesale and retail broadband businesses.
- Enable intelligent broadband that delivers on the applications and services that subscribers demand and the QoE they need.
Broadband Forum’s new work area structure taking effect by the 2025 Spring Member Meeting
Its integration underscores Broadband Forum’s commitment to evolve with the industry’s transition to ‘services-led’ broadband.
Get involved in BBF’s newest work area!
Broadband Forum remains future-focused, bridging the gap between user needs and technical innovation. Our open standards support this transition by enabling agile, multi-service networks that cater to residential, enterprise, IoT, and mobile users, ensuring a sustainable and competitive broadband future.
To learn more about the Service Requirements Work Area and how you can get involved, watch the video below.
Key moments in the video:
01:09 - Introduction to the Service Requirements Work Area
02:29 - A User-Centric Approach
05:20 - The Broadband Forum Focus
06:13 - Service Requirements in the relatiion to the other Broadband Forum Work Areas
07:22 - The Mission, Scope, and Deliverables of the Service Requirements Work Area
10:21 - Topics that the Work Area will address
15:21 - How to get involved
16:39 - Getting started - Member Webinar February 24th