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United Nations ITU-T's G.hn Approved as Global Standard for Wired Home Networking

More Than 190 Countries Endorse Universal Technology for Delivering Content Across All Wires -- Coax, Power, and Phone Line

HomeGrid Forum today announced that the G.hn standard for next-generation wired home networks has been approved by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) during its Geneva meeting held this week. All three components of the new standard -- the Data Link Layer (G.9961), Physical Layer (G.9960) and coexistence protocol (G.9972) -- are now complete. Numerous manufacturers are expected to bring semiconductors for multimedia home networking to market later this year (see today's related silicon vendor announcement from HomeGrid Forum). Through this one global standard, consumers will be able to connect and share content of all types over any wire in their homes -- coaxial cable, power lines, and phone lines.

"In an industry cluttered with a host of incompatible technologies, we congratulate the ITU-T for championing one standard that truly delivers anywire connectivity and next-generation performance," said Matt Theall, president of HomeGrid Forum and technology strategist at Intel Corporation. "G.hn is the only technology platform that supports every wire in the home. We believe that consumer electronics manufacturers, PC companies, and service providers -- and every group that works within these markets -- will benefit from the commercial availability of this technology as it rolls out later this year."

Final approval of the ITU G.hn Recommendation significantly reshapes the landscape of networked home products and services coming to the market. With G.hn, service providers will be able to deploy new offerings more cost effectively, including IPTV. Consumer electronics manufacturers will be able to provide powerful devices for connecting all types of entertainment, home automation, and security products throughout the house. Smart Grid devices such as electricity meters, heating and air conditioning systems, electrical appliances, electrical vehicles, and lighting systems will also benefit from the reliability, security, and low-power consumption provided by the G.hn Recommendation.

"The need for global standards is ever more evident. ITU-T has approved this standard in record time and it has been endorsed by all 191 countries that are members of ITU. It is therefore a truly global standard produced quickly to meet a rapidly growing market need," said Malcolm Johnson, director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU.

Unlike existing and often proprietary wired networking technologies, G.hn is a worldwide, globally supported, technology standard that works across all physical media and supports a range of applications, including high-end multimedia networking implementations. G.hn is backed by service providers, CE manufacturers, PC companies, and utility companies.

About HomeGrid Forum
HomeGrid Forum is a global, non-profit trade group promoting the International Telecommunication Union's G.hn standardization efforts for next-generation home networking. HomeGrid Forum promotes adoption of G.hn and G.hnem through technical and marketing efforts, addresses certification and interoperability of G.hn and G.hnem-compliant products, and cooperates with complementary industry alliances. For more information on HomeGrid Forum, please visit www.homegridforum.org or follow us on Twitter @homegrid_forum.