At the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), every Project Group (PG) begins with a bold vision: to drive innovation through open, disaggregated, and community-driven solutions that address real-world operator needs. Today, we’re proud to mark a significant milestone: the graduation of our Fixed Broadband (FiBr) PG, following the successful achievement of its objectives and formal approval by TIP’s Board of Directors.
What Graduation Means at TIP
TIP PGs are fast-moving incubators of ideas and technology. When they naturally reach the end of their original Charter, the PGs conclude but their contributions to the TIP community remain. Graduation is not an end; it’s a recognition that the group has delivered on its mission, creating valuable resources, learnings, and momentum for the broader ecosystem.
The FiBr PG will now live under TIP’s Graduated Project Groups, where its outputs and public documents remain accessible to the community.
A Brief History
When the FiBr PG launched in 2020, the landscape was dominated by proprietary systems, limited vendor diversity, and escalating infrastructure costs. Fixed networks remained one of the most closed areas of telecom architecture, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity.
The FiBr PG set out to change this, with a mission to bring openness, choice, and cost-efficiency to fixed broadband networks. The group focused on two complementary workstreams: OpenBNG (Broadband Network Gateway) and Open Fixed Access Networks (OFAN).
Key Achievements
OpenBNG:
- Delivered a robust set of technical requirements, including TRD 1.0, TRD 2.0, and DTRDs, to define the foundations of an open and disaggregated BNG solution.
- Published a comprehensive test plan to guide community implementation and validation efforts.
- Drove early testing and demonstration activities with suppliers and operators.
- Catalyzed industry attention, with some suppliers showcasing real-world deployments.
Open Fixed Access Networks (OFAN):
- Collaborated with operators to define multi-vendor solutions based on open standards and open-source technologies.
- Produced critical documentation such as TRDs, DTRDs, and Use Case Definitions, helping define a clear path forward for open access architectures.
- Helped shape a high-quality roadmap for disaggregated fiber network solutions, despite challenges around market fragmentation and early-stage standards.
Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead
While the group made meaningful progress, it also highlighted important industry realities:
- The diverse requirements from different operators, combined with limited supplier readiness, created complexity in scaling OpenBNG.
- In access networks, competing architectures and immature standards have slowed broader adoption of open OLT solutions.
- Industry trends, such as operators divesting fixed assets, have shifted priorities away from infrastructure innovation in the short term.
Still, the groundwork laid by FiBr has long-term significance. It equips the industry with a solid foundation of technical artifacts, test documentation, and community insights that can guide future initiatives as the market evolves. TIP will continue monitoring the landscape, ready to reengage when the demand for open fixed broadband solutions accelerates.
A Community Achievement
This graduation represents more than a project milestone; it’s a testament to the collaboration, commitment, and technical rigor of our members. From operator champions to supplier innovators, your contributions have advanced the industry conversation and defined what’s possible in the fixed broadband space.
We extend our deepest thanks to all who participated in this journey. Your work will continue to inspire future innovation across the telecom ecosystem.