The technical specs for CPE management might be long-in-the-tooth but they're as relevant as ever.

Robin Mersh

October 24, 2013

2 Min Read
TR-069: Still Sexy After All These Years

The complexity of the Connected Home environment across world markets is leading to a whole new life for the TR-069 protocol, also known as the CPE WAN Management protocol.

Originally developed by the Broadband Forum in 2004 as a way of remote provisioning for fixed-line network operators desperate to cut truck rolls, TR-069 became a de facto standard to help these operators stay competitive.

Today, a quarter of all broadband lines on the planet are managed by TR-069 and its management of devices has been expanded in line with changes in the type of devices needing to be managed (many devices can be managed from gateways to VoIP devices to set-top boxes). And the complexity you now see in the connected home environment in terms of technology (and the protocols used) is just not an issue for the continually evolving TR-069, as non-TR-069 devices can be proxy managed.

As more and more applications and devices become "off-the-shelf," this issue is compounded. As a result, simple but coordinated management is paramount right across the industry.

The success and adoption of TR-069 management is now acknowledged and endorsed by diverse players right across the broadband space: 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) , Small Cell Forum Ltd. , International Telecommunication Union, Standardization Sector (ITU-T) , European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) , Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) , and the Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) , for example, as well as of course the majority of broadband operators themselves. A significant step into the future for TR-069 has come in the past year or so, as cable operators have made public announcements about deploying TR-069 in their networks. This is proof of TR-069's ubiquity in broadband more generally, as well as -- dare I say it -- its future-proof role as networks move forward.

All these are major factors in the longevity of TR-069, and now BBF.069 Certification is helping take the protocol to more operators and widening its use from provisioning and network diagnostics to machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.

Far from just having a great past, TR-069 shows all the signs of having a great, and significant, future too.

— Robin Mersh, CEO, Broadband Forum

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About the Author(s)

Robin Mersh

Robin Mersh, Broadband Forum Chief Executive Officer, joined the Broadband Forum as Chief Operating Officer in July 2006, and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in July 2010. Robin has held leadership positions in the telecommunications industry for over 18 years. Robin has worked in business development and alliance management for various OSS software companies in the United States, mainly in network and service provisioning and activation, where he negotiated and managed several large OEM agreements. He is originally from Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London in 1992. His favorite movie is Barbarella (honestly!).

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