MARCH 31, 2020 (EXTON, PA) — SCTE•ISBE today announced the launch of its ambitious new Explorer initiative that brings together leaders with diverse backgrounds to usher in a new era of connectivity, better preparing us for future challenges and crises. Participants will leverage their shared expertise and insights gleaned from real-world experiences to accelerate the availability of and develop standards for emerging services and technologies.
The Explorer initiative initially encompasses seven new SCTE•ISBE Standards working groups that represent industries, technologies or practices that will place significant demands on telecommunications infrastructure or have a material impact on its development. The Standards working groups will address:
● Telehealth and Aging in Place
● Telemedicine
● Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
● Smart Cities
● Autonomous Transport
● Extended Spectrum (Up to 3.0 GHz)
● Human Factors Affecting Network Reliability
“Cable’s critical role at the nexus of the telecommunications and technology industries will only become more prominent as the industry ramps toward services powered by 10G,” said Chris Bastian, senior vice president and CTIO for SCTE•ISBE. “By partnering with visionary companies, SCTE•ISBE can create standards, operational practices and training that will enable stakeholders to shorten time to market for new services.”
Members of each working group will collaborate with subject matter experts from across industries to develop standards and best practices that will capitalize on the capabilities of cable’s 10G platform. As the industry pushes to 10G it will create opportunities for the advancement of emerging and yet-to-be-imagined technologies, many of which will better prepare societies for health crises and natural disasters. The current COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the value of telemedicine, aging in place, telehealth and smart cities. This initiative will help to drive those capabilities forward, better preparing societies for situations like the one currently facing countries across the globe.
Members of the SCTE•ISBE Explorer working groups will establish or update standards and operational practices; share insights fostered within their organizations, including operational feedback from their lab and field trials; and create reference libraries with related solutions and innovations. These efforts complement SCTE•ISBE’s mission to drive new applications forward through the rapid deployment of technology.
The Explorer initiative is an extension of the SCTE•ISBE Standards program, the only ANSI-accredited standards body in the cable industry and one of the top 10 ANSI-accredited standards developing organizations in the United States. With more than 1,100 experts and 130 member organizations, SCTE•ISBE Standards has been an essential catalyst in the deployment of high-speed broadband, digital television and similar services that have revolutionized communications and entertainment. SCTE•ISBE Standards received a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for innovations in television advertising in 2012.
“Throughout its 25-year history, SCTE•ISBE Standards has been at the vanguard of cable’s evolution,” continued Bastian. “With the addition of these seven new working groups, we’re reaching further beyond the industry than ever before and ensuring our members help lead the conversations that are shaping the future of connectivity.”
