Motive launches new certification program

Motive announced that it has created a new interoperability program that will review vendors’ residential gateway implementations of the DSL Forum’s TR-069 management protocol. Not coincidentally, the process also will ensure interoperability between gateways and Motive’s Edge Device Manager product.

The company, which signed a significant deal with BT earlier this year, has an existing CPE interoperability program that has tested and certified 33 different CPE products. However, this is among the industry’s first to include the recently ratified TR-069. The result will be that carriers using Motive’s management software will have more CPE options and greater economic flexibility associated with deploying and supporting that gear.

The TR-069 protocol, which was a major initiative of the DSL Forum this year, allows carriers to proactively monitor and manage devices that sit beyond the traditional demarcation point. It’s also part of a larger trend among carriers, according to Kenny Van Zant, executive vice president of marketing at Motive.

"It’s our belief that telcos are moving in the direction of managing intelligent CPE," he said.

Initially, Van Zant expects the program to cover residential gateways though that may change as DSL modems and set-top boxes begin becoming part of integrated devices. The cost of implementing the protocol shouldn’t be an issue in any of the devices, he added.

"A lot of the work done by the CPE guys was to make sure the equipment wasn’t expensive," Van Zant said. "We’re talking about a $50 box going to maybe $55, but you end up saving $100 in operational expense in the long run."