HomeGrid Forum Announces First G.hn Silicon Certification

BEAVERTON, OR--(Marketwire - Dec 5, 2012) -

News highlights:

• HomeGrid Forum announces the Marvell® 88LX3142 digital baseband processor and the Marvell 88LX2718 baseband analog front-end chipset as the first to achieve G.hn silicon Certification by passing rigorous testing at HomeGrid's accredited test house, TRaC Global
• Two other chip vendors are currently in the final stages of preparing their silicon for Certification. December System-level Plugfest to advance the system test suite and prepare for product Certifications to start early in 2013

The HomeGrid Forum today announced that the Marvell silicon chipset comprised of the 88LX3142 digital baseband processor and the 88LX2718 baseband analog front-end, achieved the first G.hn Certification awarded under HomeGrid's Compliance & Interoperability program.

The next step is system testing and certification for those systems with certified silicon. The first Systems Plugfest occurs 17-21 December at TRaC Global's headquarters in Hull, United Kingdom. All companies with G.hn working system designs are eligible to attend. 

Tom Starr, Chair of ITU-T's Study Group 15, Working Party 1 and chairman of the Broadband Forum, said, "There has been a lot of preparation to arrive at this step, and it is a very significant leap forward. It will ensure that all G.hn products will be compliant and interoperable from Day One -- an important consideration for both Service Providers and ultimately for end users. The Broadband Forum is proud to have collaborated with HomeGrid on developing the system-level interoperability test plan." The Broadband Forum is a global organization that develops testing, management and architectural specifications for the broadband industry.

"The unification and increased interoperability of no-new-wires technologies through G.hn is a positive thing, helping to simplify and improve the end-user's experience of products featuring such technology. Annual shipments of G.hn ICs are forecasted to surpass the 25 million unit mark in 2016," said Liam Quirke, connectivity analyst for IMS Research (now part of IHS Inc.).

The HomeGrid Forum's C & I program has been driven by its membership, comprised of a diversity of companies from chip vendors to device manufacturers, Service Providers, and consumer retail organizations. Achieving the vision of a high-speed home network that enables high definition TV delivery anywhere in the home over any wire is at the forefront of the organization's efforts.

Matt Theall, President of the HomeGrid Forum, said: "Our aim has always been to build a robust and effective interoperability test suite so that G.hn products are recognized for their reliability and outstanding quality. We have taken a major step forward with this first silicon certification."

G.hn is a powerful home-networking standard that enables the delivery of multichannel HD content throughout the home using existing wires, including powerline cables, coax and copper wires. A number of HGF members will be demonstrating the latest advances in G.hn at the HomeGrid Forum booth (Booth 21906, South Hall 1, Ground Level) at the CES Show in the Las Vegas Convention Centre January 8-11, 2013.

G.hn home networking was recently the subject of a Designing Spaces TV broadcast which can be viewed online at: designingspaces.tv and at youtube.com or on the HomeGrid Forum website at http://www.homegridforum.org/

About HomeGrid Forum
HomeGrid Forum (HGF) is an industry alliance that supports the development and deployment of a unified coaxial, phoneline, powerline, and plastic optic fiber home networking technology called G.hn (Gigabit Home Networking). G.hn is based on standards developed by the UN's International Telecommunications Union - Telecom (ITU-T) standards development organization. HomeGrid ensures compliance and interoperability (C&I) of silicon and systems based on the technology through plugfests and C&I testing. HGF certification ensures a high level of consumer and Service Provider confidence in the quality of the certified products. A HomeGrid logo is issued for certified systems' packaging in the retail market.

For more information on HomeGrid Forum, please visit www.homegridforum.org or follow us on http://twitter.com/homegrid_forum.