Beaverton, Oregon, USA – HomeGrid Forum and the HomePNA Alliance have merged to create a single organisation focused on promoting advanced wired home networking technologies. The combined organisation will operate under the HomeGrid Forum banner.
HomeGrid Forum (HGF) has merged with the HomePNA Alliance, to form an industry alliance of over 70 members including some of the world’s largest service providers, system manufacturers, and silicon companies. HGF is the leading organisation for promoting advanced wired home networking. The HomePNA® Alliance develops home networking specifications for distributing entertainment and triple play data over existing coax cables and phone wires.
The merger is designed to promote the smooth transition of all current generation wireline home networking technologies to G.hn, the “any wire” technology defined by ITU-T open international standards.
Just as G.hn-based products are starting to ship, the merger creates an organisation that will guide those planning new networks based on G.hn as well as migrating from earlier network technologies to G.hn. However, there will also be continued support for the installed base of over 40 million certified HomePNA devices, thereby protecting the investment of both HomePNA equipment manufacturers and their customers.
“HomePNA is a mature, field proven technology, and continues to be selected by large service providers worldwide for IPTV deployments,” said HomePNA president Eran Gureshnik. “Service providers over four continents have achieved great results with HomePNA-based products and we have gained considerable experience in deploying home networks. However, the obvious future direction for all wireline home networking is to migrate to G.hn. Therefore, it made sense for us to merge the HomePNA Alliance with the HomeGrid Forum at this time, providing a clear, strong vision to existing and new customers.”
The newly-merged HomeGrid Forum now has more than 70 members, including 28 service providers, and some of the largest original equipment and device manufacturers (OEMs and ODMs) and retailers in the world.
Eric Puetz, AT&T‘s director of Industry Standards said, “As an active member of both the HomePNA Alliance and the HomeGrid Forum, AT&T sees the merger of these two industry organisations as a great step towards advancing and harmonising these standards-based home networking technologies.”
The merger takes two organisations with a common view of the market’s direction and the same core values, and creates a single, more focused organisation. The expanded HomeGrid Forum is committed to a well-developed support and transition plan for HomePNA users, while providing a long-term vision that leads global markets toward a hybrid wired/wireless home network where G.hn provides the wireline backbone.
“The merger was a natural evolution for the two organisations. There was tremendous synergy between us and what we were both aiming to achieve,” said HomeGrid Forum president John Egan. “The core focus of both organisations was to support technologies based on open ITU-T Standards that provide wired home networks for service providers to meet their customers’ needs for robust, high-speed networking with the highest Quality of Service. This remains the primary goal of the expanded HomeGrid Forum. The HomePNA Alliance’s knowledge of real-world installations will be an invaluable resource as service providers roll out G.hn networks. As service providers consider their next steps beyond HomePNA or any other wireline home network technology, they can be confident in our vision and migration plan that maximises the value of the installed base while providing a smooth transition plan to G.hn.”
HomeGrid Forum (HGF) is the leading organisation for promoting advanced wired home networking. While supporting the existing base of HomePNA deployments, the combined organisation promotes the smooth transition of all wireline home networking technologies to a single, unified, multi-sourced home networking technology, G.hn, over coax, phone wires, powerline, and plastic optic fibre.
HGF provides silicon and system certification through its compliance and interoperability testing programs to ensure that service providers and retail customers can have great confidence in all G.hn and HomePNA products.
HomePNA is one of the leading wired home networking technologies, as chosen by service providers worldwide. The HomePNA® Alliance develops home networking specifications for distributing entertainment and triple play data over existing coax cables and phone wires. It also certifies and promotes member products for both private homes and multiple dwelling units (MDUs).
For more information on the expanded HomeGrid Forum, go to:
www.homegridforum.org
