Broadband Forum Launches Open Source USP Agent

FREMONT, CA — Broadband Forum announced it will provide an open source USP Agent implementation as it continues to evolve its User Services Platform (USP) to facilitate tomorrow’s connected home and accelerate interoperable Internet of Things (IoT) deployments.

Created as part of Broadband Forum’s Open Broadband initiative, the Open Broadband – USP Agent (OB-USP-Agent) project will provide vendors with a code base that they can either integrate into their devices or use as a reference implementation as they utilize USP. A necessary catalyst to adoption in today’s software development world, OB-USP-Agent will facilitate USP deployment and result in faster time-to-market for USP-based solutions and innovation. Furthermore, as a standards-based solution, operators can have the peace of mind that they won’t become locked into more costly and less flexible proprietary management solutions.

Published in April 2018, USP is an evolution of the TR-069 standard, currently installed in more than 1 billion households globally. USP has already seen significant uptake and currently has hundreds of active developers. For operators seeking a truly unified, common approach to securely deploy, manage and control network-aware consumer electronics, including home and enterprise Wi-Fi, IoT, and more, USP is an ideal solution.

Enabling Applications to Manipulate Service Elements
Using the same data models as TR-069, USP builds a network of controllers and agents to allow applications to manipulate service elements. This allows service providers, consumer electronics manufacturers and end-users to securely manage connected devices, carry out upgrades, for example, for critical security updates, and onboard new devices. Customer support is also improved by remote monitoring and troubleshooting of connected devices, services and home network links.

The open source USP Agent has been provided by Broadband Forum member ARRIS International, which has already used the agent in previous USP Plugfest events and tested it against the existing USP Compliance Test Plan. Project participants can leverage and extend this code as innovation around OB-USP-Agent grows. The project has been launched and the code is available for Broadband Forum members to view here. A public release will be made available later this year.

USP’s services are defined in a data model, which has new functionality and revisions added to it every six-to-nine months. It supports three multiple messaging protocols for different use cases – WebSockets for point-to-point legacy devices, STOMP for cloud controllers supporting LAN side devices and devices that may move from one network to the other, and CoAP for LAN communication between LAN side controllers, for example in a smartphone. This ensures that USP solutions targeted towards end-users are not dependent on the cloud. Planned future updates include MQTT support, in response to demand from service providers.

Since USP’s launch, regular Plugfests have taken place, with the two held so far attracting participation from five companies, including Nokia, ARRIS, Axiros, Greenwave Systems, and QA Cafe (for testing purposes). Broadband Forum member, Greenwave Systems has also successfully deployed USP in its Internet of Things (IoT) applications.