JUNE 14, 2010 -- HomeGrid Forum announced that the G.hn standard for next-generation wired home networks has been approved by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) during its Geneva meeting. All three components of the new standard -- the Data Link Layer (G.9961), Physical Layer (G.9960) and coexistence protocol (G.9972) -- are now complete.

Numerous manufacturers are expected to bring semiconductors for multimedia home networking to market later this year. Through this one global standard, consumers will be able to connect and share content of all types over any wire in their homes -- coaxial cable, power lines, and phone lines – reveals a representative.

"In an industry cluttered with a host of incompatible technologies, we congratulate the ITU-T for championing one standard that truly delivers anywire connectivity and next-generation performance," says Matt Theall, president of HomeGrid Forum and technology strategist at Intel Corp. "G.hn is the only technology platform that supports every wire in the home. We believe that consumer electronics manufacturers, PC companies, and service providers -- and every group that works within these markets -- will benefit from the commercial availability of this technology as it rolls out later this year."

With G.hn, service providers will be able to deploy new offerings more cost effectively, including IPTV. Consumer electronics manufacturers will be able to provide powerful devices for connecting all types of entertainment, home automation, and security products throughout the house. Smart Grid devices such as electricity meters, heating and air conditioning systems, electrical appliances, electrical vehicles, and lighting systems will also benefit from the reliability, security, and low-power consumption provided by the G.hn Recommendation, adds the spokesperson.

"The need for global standards is ever more evident. ITU-T has approved this standard in record time and it has been endorsed by all 191 countries that are members of ITU. It is therefore a truly global standard produced quickly to meet a rapidly growing market need," notes Malcolm Johnson, director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU.

G.hn is a worldwide, globally supported, technology standard that works across all physical media and supports a range of applications, including high-end multimedia networking implementations. G.hn is backed by service providers, CE manufacturers, PC companies, and utility companies.