G.hn

G.hn is the common name for the "next generation" home network technology standard being developed under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The work is being done in the ITU-T Telecommunication Standardization Sector, Study Group 15. Over 20 companies are participating regularly representing a broad cross section of the communications industry including some of the worlds largest telephone companies, major communication equipment companies and some of the leading home networking technology companies.

Overview

G.hn contributors are working to develop the next generation standard for existing-wire home networking (a wired and complementary counterpart to the very popular WiFi wireless home networking standard). G.hn has targeted gigabit per second data rates and operation over all three types of home wires: coax, powerline and phone wires.

G.hn proponents are working to make G.hn the future universal wired home networking standard worldwide; coexisting with and providing an evolution path from today's existing-wire home networking technologies including Multimedia over Coax Alliance over coax, HomePNA 3.1 over coax and phone wires (already an ITU standard G.9954), and Homeplug AV, Universal Powerline Association (UPA) and HD-PLC over powerline.

The "killer" application for existing wire home network technologies is IPTV especially IPTV offered by a service provider as part of a Triple play (telecommunications) video, voice and data service offering such as AT&T's U-Verse.

The promise of G.hn is one semiconductor device that can be used to networtk over any home wires. Some benefits of the final standard are expected to be lower equipment development costs and lower deployment costs for service providers.

tatus

The standard has been in development since 2006. The group is now working to an accelerated schedule holding monthly face to face meetings. Completion is targeted for the end of 2008.

External links

* [http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/ ITU-T]
* [http://homepnablog.typepad.com/ The HomePNA Blog contains general information about home networking and G.hn]