Article #1600 - OSGi
The Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi) provides a series of specifications for home gateway integration—permitting a single platform handling multiple in-home services interfaced to the outside world through various possible communications technologies. These specifications can be compared and contrasted to the HomeGate standardization work currently underway in the IEC/ISO JTC1/SC25 (with the participation of the EIA & CEA)—they might be seen as one particular rendition and subset of this type of standard.
The past decade has seen growth in many different standards and technologies surrounding home networking, including both proprietary and consortia developed systems. OSGi was a visible consortia addressing the subject of home service gateways, with a wide industry membership base, and a certain number of products in industry adhering to the OSGi specifications. However, the subject of home gateways seems to be maturing and entering the international standards organizations, so the strength and leveraging potential of OSGi from the viewpoint of GridWise™ needs may be diminishing.
OSGi, Open Services Gateway Initiative
| OSGi, Open Services Gateway Initiative | |
|---|---|
| Overview |
An independent, non-profit corporation composed of 75 technology companies working to define and promote open standards for the delivery of multiple services over wide-area networks to local networks and devices in the home, small office, and the automobile. The OSGi specification defines an open framework that enables multiple software services to be loaded and run on a services gateway. Once resident in a vehicle, an OSGi-compliant services gateway enables the delivery of managed services and information to the vehicle, and also creates a platform for information and services exchange between home networks and tomorrow's car networks. |
| Significance for GridWise | Average-(According to Sunil Cherian, this group was fading.) |
| Industry Sector(s) | Home Networks |
| Geopolitical Reach | International |
| Type of Standards Body | Industry Alliance/Forum (Primarily PR vehicle for member companies?) |
| Relevant Standards and Work Groups |
Architecture Expert Group OSGI Service Gateway 1.0;OSGi Service Platform Release 3 (Includes Lonworks) |
| Design Center |
The OSGi specification is designed to compliment and enhance virtually all residential networking standards and initiatives, such as Bluetooth&trade, CAL, CEBus, Convergence, emNET, HAVi&trade, HomePNA&trade, HomePlug&trade, HomeRF&trade, Jini&trade technology, LonWorks, UPnP, 802.11B and VESA. In the same way, the specification leverages the value of existing wire line and wireless networks while providing flexibility toward cable, WCDMA, xDSL and other high-speed access technologies.A Services Gateway can be a set-top box, cable or DSL Modem, a PC, a web phone, or a dedicated automotive, multimedia, or residential gateway. |
| Interrelations | Lonworks (echelon) |
| Contact Information | OSGi: Open Services Gateway Initiative |