Thomas will lead the Forum at a pivotal time for the global broadband industry, reshaping it to transition from connectivity-driven to delivering standards for intelligent, services-led networks that prioritize the user experience.

He said that the broadband industry is entering an era where speed “is no longer a constraint.”

“Innovations in broadband connectivity allow the industry to capitalize on the potential of broadband beyond residential connectivity services,” said Thomas. “We can create additional QoE-sensitive monetized lifestyle services for consumers and open up the broadband network to be ubiquitous that also meets business, IoT, and converged services demands.”

Thomas, who has been with the Forum since 2020, serving as Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Business Development, will begin his term as CEO on January 1, 2024. His experience in the telecom vendor and service provider industry includes roles at Calix, Tellabs, Tiscali UK Business Services, Cosine Communications, Ericsson, and Alcatel / Newbridge Networks.

“Craig's selection as CEO was a natural choice for Broadband Forum and we are confident the leadership transition will be smooth,” said John Blackford, Broadband Forum Chairman. “During Craig’s time with the Forum, we have seen a ten-year high in membership and contributions from large and small companies representing innovative vendors, application and content providers, and network and service providers.”

Broadband Forum continues to drive standards momentum in the broadband industry. In 2022, the forum published 39 new standards, test plans, marketing reports, and open software releases. The forum said that so far in 2023, new areas of work have been identified and the number of documents and new projects continues to grow.