Trade organisations Thread Group and Broadband Forum are working together to improve interoperability between their networks.

Thread is an industry alliance of more than 240 companies supporting the Thread wireless mesh networking protocol for IoT, and the Broadband Forum is an open standards organisation for broadband networks.

They have announced a liaison agreement to improve interoperability between Thread mesh networks and broadband-managed environments. The agreement establishes the opportunity for consumer electronics vendors and service providers to work together to offer fully managed services.

Today, there are more than 19 billion connected IoT devices globally sitting behind broadband home gateways, which IoT Analytics expects will nearly double by 2030. Because broadband service providers increasingly manage the smart home and commercial IoT networks, the rapid expansion of wireless device networks highlights the critical need for seamless coordination between connected device services and broadband connectivity.

Thread provides the low-power, IP-based wireless mesh layer that connects IoT devices to each other and to the internet. The Broadband Forum provides the open standards that govern how broadband networks deliver, manage and monitor those connections.

This agreement represents a shared commitment by both organisations to develop together and align the evolving connectivity needs of smart devices, service providers and choice for consumers. The result should be simpler device setup, more reliable connections and fewer compatibility issues between IoT products and broadband equipment.

Both organisations are IP-based and vendor-neutral. Collectively, they have nearly 400 member companies that will bring the benefits from this collaboration to connected homes and buildings worldwide.

They will share technical specifications and best practices to improve interoperability between Thread mesh networks and broadband-managed USP (user service platform) and TR-369 environments. Contributors from both organisations will define joint interoperability requirements across consumer and enterprise IoT applications.

“Aligning these two layers by design means fewer integration problems for operators and a better experience for the people who live and work in these spaces,” said Vividh Siddha, Thread Group president.

Thread Group has certified more than 1000 products built on its low-power, IP-based wireless mesh protocol. Thread enables all devices, regardless of manufacturer, to operate on one unified network.

Broadband Forum has published more than 250 globally adopted specifications across its 30-year history, with standards deployed across billions of broadband devices worldwide.

“Our members manage broadband standards deployed across billions of devices worldwide,” said John Blackford, chairman of the Broadband Forum (broadband-forum.org). “Thread’s IP-native mesh networking fits naturally into that ecosystem. This liaison gives both communities a framework to solve real interoperability challenges and bring better-connected products to market faster.”

Thread Group and Broadband Forum will align their open, IP-based standards and accelerate IoT adoption in broadband-connected homes and commercial buildings. Importantly, the agreement creates a direct channel for engineers and product teams to share specifications, define interoperability requirements and develop joint best practices.

To see how the organisations will work together to simplify onboarding, improve reliability and enable more scalable managed IoT services, join the joint webinar (www.broadband-forum.org/events/iot-broadband-webinar/) on 16 July 2026.

Thread Group (threadgroup.org) also has liaison agreements with the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the Dali Alliance, BacNet and the KNX Association.