Broadband service providers facing complex transitions to cloud-based networks received a boost this week as two industry organizations joined forces to simplify equipment procurement.

The Broadband Forum teamed up with the Linux Foundation (LF) Broadband to align their respective technical standards and open-source software to create a unified framework designed to reduce procurement costs and accelerate deployment timelines.

The pair penned a consolidated technical report designed to serve as a single reference document, bringing together disparate information used by hardware manufacturers and software providers during equipment certification.

The technical report brings together requirements and recommendations on equipment from a variety of different suppliers, which would allow operators to purchase the right equipment for their needs and ultimately reduce CapEx and maintenance costs.

The partnership will align LF Broadband's key projects with Broadband Forum specifications, including SEBA (SDN-enabled broadband access) reference designs for building open broadband networks and the VOLTHA (virtual optical line terminal hardware abstraction) project, which virtualizes passive optical networking systems.

The initiative will also cover integrating fiber equipment, such as OLTs, through the VOLTHA framework in CloudCO environments using Broadband Forum-specified APIs, which support access technologies deployed at network edges.

Operators and vendors, including Altice Labs, Deutsche Telekom, and Nokia are among those contributing to the VOLTHA alignment with CloudCO project, with the participants expected to publish the project’s deliverables by the end of this year.

“As [broadband service providers] look to migrate from legacy to multivendor cloud environments, this collaboration combines the best of both open standards and open-source software," Francisco Araujo de Carvalho, Broadband Forum board member and senior director for integrated solutions at Radisys, noted in a statement. “This alignment will provide documented, open, hardened, and interoperable APIs that enable [broadband service providers] to easily find and deploy de-facto standardized open-source software solutions compatible with any company’s computing hardware.”