Broadband Forum has announced that combining two key smart home standards—its User Services Platform (USP) and the Connectivity Standards Alliance’s (CSA) Matter protocol—will open up value-added services for network operators and broadband service providers (BSPs) while enhancing the potential of smart homes.
When Matter is integrated with USP, BSPs will be able to deploy compatible devices more efficiently and manage them with ease. Currently, Matter-compatible devices like TVs and speakers are managed through apps on smartphones, hubs, or smart displays. With USP, all supported devices can be controlled through a standardized, cloud-based interface, regardless of brand.
“This collaboration levels the playing field in an app-driven ecosystem dominated by major smart home players,” said Jason Walls, Co-Director of Broadband Forum’s Broadband User Services (BUS) Work Area and Director of Technical Marketing at QA Cafe. “This project will allow BSPs to simplify and unify the smart home experience using a single, Matter-enabled gateway. Industry collaboration is essential to fully realizing Matter’s potential, and we look forward to advancing this initiative.”
The MatterService Data Model for USP-enabled Devices (WT-517), a key part of this collaboration, is expected to be finalized by summer 2025.
“Network operators are crucial to the smart home experience,” said Chem Assayag, Senior VP of Home Services Innovation at Orange. “By integrating Matter with USP, BSPs can simplify the deployment and monitoring of new services, creating a more cohesive experience for users.”
This integration goes beyond a technical update; it’s a strategic move toward broad adoption of the Matter standard, setting the stage for a connected home ecosystem. USP enables advanced device management for network operators and facilitates seamless communication between applications and control systems within the home.
USP’s structure includes USP Agents, which expose data, and USP Controllers, which consume the data. This project outlines how the MatterService model will be incorporated into USP Agents, typically housed in customer premises equipment (CPE) like routers, to support services like firewalls and speed tests, managed by the USP Controller.
