- Sustainability, security, network visibility and ISP differentiation are big challenges hindering broader open access network adoption, said Broadband Forum CEO Craig Thomas
- Broadband Forum’s new Wholesale Access project targets clearer standards for shared broadband networks
- The open access business model is fraught with regulatory inconsistencies around the world
Adoption of open access networks, where multiple ISPs operate on the same shared infrastructure, is still all over the place with minimal standardization. Broadband Forum, which seeks to define clearer wholesale access standards with a new initiative, outlined four key deployment concerns the group is hearing from operators.
Sustainability is a big one, Broadband Forum CEO Craig Thomas told Fierce, given the pressure ISPs face in reducing their carbon footprint and lower customer electricity bills via energy-efficient infrastructure. Security is another critical element as open access environments have more peering points that connect the wholesale operator with the tenant ISPs and their consumers.
Thomas also touched upon the importance of visibility in the wholesale network, “so that we negate the finger-pointing issues of where there is a problem in the network [and] who owns that problem between the wholesale operator, the ISP or [retail services provider] and whatever’s inside the home,” he said.
Furthermore, ISPs on a shared infrastructure are trying to figure out how to differentiate themselves with metrics other than price and customer service. “What we’ve had traditionally is a model where all of the ISPs are pretty much selling the same three or four wholesale products,” said Thomas.
Broadband Forum tackles open access standards with new project
Broadband Forum last week unveiled its Wholesale Access project, which aims to define service requirements, best practices and technical solutions for wholesale broadband access as well as offer guidance for how wholesale operators can share their infrastructure with not just retail ISPs but also content, application and cloud providers.
Concerning technical requirements, the group wants to create specifications that go beyond end-user speed tests, said the board director and Wholesale Access Project Editor at Broadband Forum.
He’s referring to tests that analyze network factors such as “jitter and latency, potentially translating these network parameters into an anticipated, estimated quality of experience.”
Broadband Forum is considering standards that apply for different deployment models, the board director said, such as the single-box model (i.e., gateway) or the two-box approach where the optical network terminal (ONT) is separate from the ISP router. It’s also looking at how wholesale networks can shift compute resources from cloud data centers closer to the end user and how operators can intercept cloud traffic without impacting other segments of the network.
But it’s tricky to establish open access standards amid different regulatory environments. The business model is more prevalent in Europe with players such as BT’s Openreach, FiberCop (formerly part of Telecom Italia) and Onivia in Spain.
Canada’s government last year ruled broadband providers are required to wholesale their networks to competitors, drawing backlash from the large incumbents. However, open access traction is also picking up in the U.S. where there aren’t any concrete regulations around it, as operators like Utopia and Gigapower expand their networks.
Broadband Forum’s intent isn’t to “shoehorn a European model into a global market,” said Thomas. Some regulators seek advice on how Broadband Forum can help their countries regulate quality of experience, while others just want to offer wholesale services “at the easiest, regulated way.”
“As a standards body, we don’t stipulate any approach,” he said. “We’re just saying these are the global standards that you may want to architecture and deploy.”
Broadband Forum’s next step is to gather more input from different operators, both wholesale and retail, and ask them about their key business challenges related to service requirements.
“We want to move away from just a connection-led broadband into what are the services that the operators need to develop and the subscribers want to pay for,” Thomas said.
Ed Note: This article was updated on Weds., March 18, 2026, at 9:31 AM ET.