Broadband Forum Certification Program


Testing & Certification Programs

Since its inception, the Forum has had an objective to establish interoperability in the broadband marketplace. Tody the program encompasses end-to-end broadband testing requirements including fiber, DSL, MPLS and home networking related interoperability and conformance testing. The BBF program includes 1) developing common test requirements, 2) establishing a test suite which normally includes functional as well as performance tests, and finally 3) hosting test events also known as plugfests, which can include private members only multivendor plugfests, conformance testing, public interoperability demonstrations and/or certification.

Below is a summary of the programs around each area of current testing.

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The BBF program includes 1) developing common test requirements, 2) establishing a test suite which normally includes functional and performance tests, and finally 3) hosting test events also known as plugfests, which can include private members only multivendor plugfests, conformance testing, public interoperability demonstrations and/or certification.


Certification Program Impact

  • Creates confidence and minimizes risks
  • Creates a trusted industry standard for implementation and high customer satisfaction
  • Leverages vast experience and expertise
  • Avoids extensive provider testing before purchase (even if skills were available to create tests)
  • Significantly reduces costs and accelerates time to revenue for all stakeholders
  • Interop certification critical for developing choice of silicon and products and the starting point for provider integration

Below is a summary of the programs around each area of current testing.

Breaking News June 13, 2017: Gfast Certification

Quotes "Certification is key ... (read more ...)

“Interoperable standardized Gfast technology is key because it underpins an ability to deliver next generation ultrafast broadband at scale,” said Kevin Foster, General Manager, Architecture and Innovation for BT. “Certification to the Broadband Forum’s Gfast requirements provides a known level of confidence and will reduce test time for both network operators and their communication provider customers.”

Lincoln Lavoie, Senior Engineer, Broadband Technologies at UNH-IOL, said: “The certification represents an outstanding technical achievement with hundreds of rigorous tests of the stability, functionality, control, and performance of Gfast systems and thousands of hours of close technical collaboration over many months between the lab and all of the companies involved. The program’s certification of these products has played a significant role in understanding and improving the implementation of Gfast.”

Certification Related Links

Approved Test Laboratory (ATL) Program

The Broadband Forum Approved Test Laboratory (ATL) program was established to benefit the industry by having independent, yet vetted, test laboratories, enabling vendors and operators to choose test labs with a heightened level of confidence that the labs have the right competence.

These labs specialize in their given areas, are well versed in the Broadband Forum specifications and help drive the BBF's goals for multi-vendor interoperable technologies, testing agreed performance and functional measurements to help expedite deployments.

List of BBF Certification Programs for each technology


Gfast Related Testing & Certification highligths based on BBF-337 test specification
Gfast Certification overview

Test plan defined in Broadband Forum’s IR-337
  • Three key areas of focus: baseline performance, stability, mandatory features
Verification of key features within Gfast
  • Bit-swap, FRA, SRA, RPA, Retransmission, Test Modes, PSD control, TIGA, RFI controls, verification of performance counters
Basic assurance of performance
  • Required operation in noisy conditions
  • Required bit-rate vs. distance
  • Mean time between errors (a.k.a. stressed receiver)
Certification: IR-337 elements

Seamless Rate Adaption (SRA) shifting
  • Allows the Gfast line to adjust the bit rate to changing conditions while giving the customer the fastest possible connection.
Fast Rate Adaption (FRA)
  • Gfast specific stability feature allows line to survive large, sudden changes, preventing unneeded retrains and unavailable time.
Re-Transmission
  • Allows the line to re-transmit data that would normally have been discarded, improving the user’s quality of experience
Basic minimum level of performance
  • Ensure the CPE or DPU can provide data rates needed for ultra fast broadband (> 600Mbps)
Verification of spectral compliance, to avoid interference with equipment FM radio, etc
  • Broadband Forum PHYtx Work Area developed detailed test procedures for testing a variety of devices and chip sets
With reference to the ITU-T specifications:
  • PSD testing ensures a device will not negatively impact other systems, by violating the required mask defined in G.9700
  • Testing conformance to G.fast transceiver functions, such as data transmission, seamless rate adaption, fast rate adaption, bit swap, re-transmission, TIGA, etc., as defined in G.9701
  • Certification tests the control, status, and performance parameters used to configure and monitor G.fast lines (See also TR-355 Yang models) as defined in G.997

The story behind Gfast Certification

Ensure multi-chipset interoperability between solutions
  • Certification demonstrate interoperability between multiple chipsets and product combinations
Made possible by 1000s of hours of close technical collaboration and teamwork by the participants and UNH-IOL
  • Rigor of IR-337 has taken certification testing to a new level for the industry
  • Represents an outstanding technical achievement
  • 30 rigorous tests of the stability, functionality, control, and performance of Gfast
  • Years faster than previous access certification
The Program’s certification has played a significant role in understanding and improving the implementation of Gfast
CWMP TR-069 Related Testing & Certification highligths based on BBF-069 test specification

Service providers face many challenges as they support the plethora of new devices, applications and services coming online. The challenges include managing the growing number of video and mobile related devices, IPv4 number exhaustion, interoperability and back office billing and operational support. The Broadband Forum developed TR-069, CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP), as a remote management platform for service providers to be able to automatically recognized, remotely provision and maintain the variety of customers' devices over their lifecycle. In order to assure consistency and adherence to the protocol, the BBF.069 CPE certification program is now available.

Requirements documents associated with these specifications:

For a list of upcoming CWMP TR-069 related plugfests: Testing Event Calendar

Home Networking Related Testing (G.hn)

The ITU developed G.hn as the first global home networking standard created to unify home networking services and devices over any wire, including coaxial cable, phone lines and power lines. The HomeGrid Forum and the Broadband Forum are working together to develop an interoperability program to verify the adherence to the ITU standard. The Broadband Forum's role is to lead the development of the test requirements documents and test plan to be used in the HomeGrid's formal Compliance and Interoperability program.

Various plugfests are taking place and are driven by vendor interest and the industry's desire to test first silicon and to demonstrate G.hn's market potential. The specific goals of these first G.hn plugfests are to perform early tests for interoperability and compliance of chipsets from a number of vendors, validate the test suite and act as a prelude to the launch of HomeGrid's formal Compliance and Interoperability program.

Test Plans & associated work:
  • TR-208: Performance Test Plan For In-premises Powerline Communication Systems
  • OD-195: Test Plan for G.hn interoperability plugfests (in development-members only access)
  • SD-256: G.hn Use Case Scenarios (in development-members only access)
For a list of upcoming G.hn related plugfests:
Testing Event Calendar
G-PON, EPON Fiber testing and Certifiication

In 2010, the Broadband Forum established the Fiber Access Networks (FAN) work area, which has a close relationship to the sister working groups at FSAN. The Forum's latest fiber related initiatives include access agnostic remote management specifications, new G-PON network solutions and PON device data models, improving providers' ability to deploy hybrid networks and manage the digital home efficiently regardless of broadband transportation means. All the work to develop technical specifications related to Optical Access Nodes and associated test plans for conformance and inter-vendors interoperability takes place at (or is reviewed at) our quarterly meetings-so you know exactly where to go to ensure your requirements are met and your products are part of these industry critical global plugfests and certification program.

Fiber related requirements documents:
Fiber test plans:


The success of G-PON technologies has taken a significant step forward with the launch of the market's first ever BBF.247 G-PON Certification Program. To help the industry expedite fiber network rollout, this global BBF.247 G-PON ONU Certification program help's pave the way for swift expansion of superfast broadband and the development of new technologies. It is based on test plans developed by the Broadband Forum and work undertaken jointly with FSAN (Full Service Access Network).

In 2013 the BBF.247 certification program was expanded to address a variety of ONUs; testing various VLAN profiles and functionality. The program is open to all G-PON ONU products with Ethernet interfaces and is based on the Broadband Forum's ATP-247/IR-247 test plan. It tests conformance to TR-156 using OMCI as defined in the ITU G.988, which are the most critical standards to interoperable implementations. Additional test cases and modules for other configurations and functionalities will be added in the future to keep up with evolving requirements.

The Broadband Forum has reviewed and authorized the following independent testing agency to administer the approved BBF.247 tests and assess eligibility of products for the Broadband Forum Certification. For more information or to schedule testing, please contact the laboratory directly:


Since 2009, the BBF has collaborated with FSAN (Full Service Access Network) on interoperability testing plugfests on the physical, TC and upper layers for G-PON, with FSAN leading on the first two and BBF on the last.

xDSL (ADSL, SHDSL, ADSL2plus, VDSL2) Certification


To drive interoperability, the Broadband Forum has developed a set of Technical Reports that provide the testing parameters for various DSL specifications:

For a list of upcoming xDSL related test events:
Testing Event Calendar

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The test houses involved in this program are independent third parties, and The Broadband Forum will accept test reports from test houses without further verification. The Broadband Forum takes no responsibility for, and shall have no liability as a result of, any action, inaction, error, breach or deficiency of a test house.