By Jason Walls, QA Cafe, Broadband User Services Work Area Co-Director at Broadband Forum
The global telecommunications sector has witnessed groundbreaking advancements and innovations in the last couple of decades, many of which have been driven by the Broadband Forum. One of our most pivotal contributions has been developing and promoting the TR-069 protocol, a cornerstone for the remote management of end-user devices.
The birth of TR-069
First introduced in 2004, TR-069, or the CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP), has become an integral part of internet service provider (ISP) deployments. By providing an interface for the remote configuration and management of user devices, TR-069 has streamlined service provisioning and reduced operational expenditures for ISPs. It served as the bedrock, setting the stage for increased efficiency and reliability in broadband services. It now has more than a billion deployments worldwide.
So much work went into TR-069 by people who are now some of my closest friends. I remember the long hours spent at University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) plugfests that made TR-069 the interoperable and successful protocol it is today. I remember the heated debates on each version and the transition from the (now long-time deprecated) TR-098 data model to what is now TR-181 Device:2. I remember the changes in companies, participants, and even families in the years since its inception.
USP: Looking to the future
I also remember the day we decided to “open up the hood” and think about the future. It was the week before Broadband Forum’s 2015 Q2 Quarterly Meeting, which was being held right in my home city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. During an intense two-day meeting at QA Cafe’s offices, we agreed to start what would become the User Services Platform (USP), defined in TR-369.
USP signifies an enormous leap forward into application management and enhanced network management capabilities. It builds on the solid foundation of TR-069 and the TR-181 data model, while introducing several improvements that make it better suited to meet the demands of modern network environments.
It facilitates more complex and sophisticated device management scenarios with improved security, real-time capabilities, and the ability to manage more connected devices. This allows ISPs to future-proof their operations and efficiently manage the increasingly complex and diverse array of devices in the network. In addition, USP’s technology is even being used to realize the promise of “application-enabled services gateways”, allowing operators to quickly deploy new, value-added services in an interoperable way for the first time in history.
The Broadband Forum has advised that it will make no more updates to TR-069, as TR-369/ USP (which builds on the TR-069 blueprint) has become the cornerstone for future developments in device management. To support existing deployments and those who use TR-069 for the wide array of features it provides, testing and certification for TR-069 will continue, and the TR-181 data model for CWMP and USP continually be updated until it is no longer practical to do so.
Building on the TR-069 blueprint
It is essential to acknowledge that this transition does not render the valuable work done with TR-069 irrelevant. Instead, it builds on this and the existing data model, adapting and expanding to meet the new challenges and possibilities in an ever-connected world.
This step signifies a shift toward more agile, distributed, robust, and secure network infrastructure that empowers the burgeoning market of application providers, provides more opportunities for the consumer electronics industry, and aligns with the evolving demands of ISPs for a services-led broadband experience for their subscribers.
Transitioning to a more valuable ecosystem
We understand the challenges this transition may pose, such as migrating existing infrastructure and training staff on TR-369. But we firmly believe in the significant benefits of USP. By carefully carrying this transition out, the initial implementation costs should be offset by the benefits that USP brings, such as lowering operating expenditure and new revenue streams opening up.
Our team at Broadband Forum remains committed to supporting ISPs during this transition. As we look back on 20 years of TR-069, we are optimistic about the opportunities that the adoption of USP presents to advance the telecommunications industry forward.
Above all, we appreciate the importance of TR-069 and its role in our industry. However, we look forward with excitement and anticipation to the future that USP will shape. Together, we can make the most of the opportunities that this transition brings, fostering a broadband ecosystem that is better, more robust, and more valuable for everyone.
Read the latest announcement celebrating TR-069’s 20-year anniversary here.