MORRISTOWN, N.J. -- TM Forum, the world's premier industry group focused on business effectiveness for the communications and media sectors, announced today it is expanding the outreach of its Cable Multiple System Operator (MSO) initiative by making the Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR) interface specification publicly available.
TM Forum helps MSOs improve profitability by identifying and addressing cable management issues, defining best practices and standardized frameworks, and providing industry leadership around the world.
Key Facts
IP network and service providers use IPDR to provide cost-effective usage measurement data exchange for next-generation services across an extended value-chain of partners. IPDR can gather a more robust data set than can be captured with other widely adopted standards. TM Forum is developing and driving the adoption of the IPDR specification through the contributions of MSO members and ongoing work with CableLabs®.
Because of IPDR's importance to the cable industry, TM Forum is now making IPDR an open standard available to TM Forum non-members as well as members. The intent is to maximize and accelerate IPDR use by hardware and software suppliers and systems integrators. The IPDR specifications have already been widely adopted by the cable industry, for example, CableLabs® adopted IPDR/SP as a mandatory part of DOCSIS™ (Data over Cable Service Interface Specification) and OpenCable™.
The full IPDR Solution Suite now incorporates a comprehensive set of tools, including IPDR Streaming Protocol Specification, Business Solution Requirements, IPDR Specification Design Guide, File Transfer mode protocol Specifications, key Service Specifications, the, IPDR/XDR Encoding Format, and IPDR Usage Data Accounting Requirements.
TM Forum is managing and actively supporting a number of cable events over the coming months. Forthcoming TM Forum cable events include: Management World Americas conference, in Orlando, December 8-10, 2009, featuring:
An Executive Debate discussing “Where does Cable go Next?” with Roberto Nobile, COO, Cablevision Argentina
Tom Vari, CIO & SVP, Application Delivery, Rogers Communications, Inc
Rodrigo Duclos, CTO, Net Serviços
In addition, TM Forum will participate in SCTE Cable-Tec Expo®, in Denver, October 28-30, 2009.
Quotes
“The TM Forum is committed to the cable sector,” said Martin Creaner, president and COO, TM Forum. “By opening access to IPDR documents we are encouraging the broader cable industry to adopt IPDR, to make technical contributions that advance IPDR, and to participate actively in the TM Forum.”
“We are very pleased that TM Forum is making IPDR specifications available to an audience beyond our respective membership,” said Ralph W. Brown, Chief Technology Officer, CableLabs. “CableLabs has always made a practice of making its specifications publicly available to expand adoption. This action on the part of the TM Forum should enable the growth of the IPDR user community and drive technical contributions for exciting new IPDR features.”
“Public availability of the IPDR specification is an important move towards wider acceptance of the protocol,” said Jeffrey Finkelstein, Director of Network Architecture, Cox Communications. “We are a supporter of open specifications and are pleased to see the TM Forum, of which we are a member, take this significant step forward.”
TM Forum