Nokia has enhanced its Corteca software suite to adopt open standards and protocols for home networking and application lifecycle management.

The Corteca home controller now supports Prpl LCM, the Open Container Initiative (OCI) and the TR-369 USP user services platform protocol, giving operators a vendor-agnostic option that simplifies the management of in-home broadband gateways, wifi connectivity and applications.

Nokia’s platform standardises the management and interoperability of applications installed on broadband devices. The Corteca developer toolkit enables third-party software providers or CSPs themselves to create applications based on Prpl LCM. By using TR-369 and OCI, Corteca lets operators take a consistent, standardised approach to install, uninstall or update any of the applications it delivers to customers. Leveraging open standards unlocks the CSP from vendor lock-in, enables new monetisation opportunities, and helps the industry create better in-home experiences for the end-user.

Built on open standards, Corteca provides operators with a cloud platform for managing broadband devices, in-home wifi connectivity and the applications running on those devices. With the home controller, operators can deliver a managed wifi service across a multi-vendor environment that improves the overall in-home wifi experience for its subscribers.

Nokia offers a B2B marketplace for operators to select the applications they want to deploy with a growing catalogue of partners spanning various use cases, such as cyber security, online gaming, diagnostics and work-from-home.

“With the increasing need for CSPs to be able to differentiate and compete beyond their traditional broadband connectivity services, the ability to offer a wide variety of value-added services and applications has become essential,” said Alzbeta Fellenbaum, principal analyst at Omdia (omdia.tech.informa.com). “Using open standards protocols, such as Prpl LCM, OCI or TR-369 that enable open APIs, allows CSPs to drive down cost, increase their competitiveness and explore new monetisation opportunities. The open approach benefits both CSPs and consumers. While CSPs gain the flexibility and speed to innovate and optimise service delivery, consumers experience improved performance, security and personalisation.”

Tom Gaffney, director of embedded security at Finland-based cyber-security firm F-Secure (www.f-secure.com), added:“Our history of providing cyber security to CSPs spans many years and, during that time, we’ve had to adapt and innovate to keep up with the changing industry landscape. Partnering with Nokia on containerised applications has been a win-win. We are both aligned to the same open standards, and using the Corteca developer toolkit reduces the time and effort needed to bring our software to broadband devices and connected homes globally.”

The Prpl LCM (prplfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/prpl-LCM-Proposal-v1.0.A.pdf) is open-source, platform-independent software that leverages common high-level APIs, giving service providers a platform to manage value-added applications. Prpl LCM is an open-source project that works with open industry standards, such as the OCI and the Broadband Forum TR-369.

TR-369 (friendly-tech.com/tr369-usp-for-service-providers), also known as USP, is a Broadband Forum standard that provides a unified platform for managing connected devices, wifi and applications in the home. It enables service providers to deliver consistent and reliable management across various devices and services, ensuring interoperability and reducing operational complexities.

The OCI (opencontainers.org) is an open governance structure for the express purpose of creating open industry standards around container formats and runtimes.

Corteca (www.nokia.com/networks/fixed-networks/corteca) complies with the World Broadband Alliance (WBA) Operator Managed Wifi v1 reference architecture. The framework combines multiple available standards to streamline wifi data collection, wifi management, configuration and optimisation of home networks, simplifying the analysis and decision-making process for carriers.