PRESS RELEASE: ZTE Corporation has announced that its ZXHN F8648P Passive Optical Network (PON) Optical Network Terminal (ONT) has become the first PON ONT in the industry to pass the EasyMesh™ R3 certification of the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA).

This certification is a validation of the product’s abilities to help operators remove the interoperability barrier between devices from different vendors in a smart mesh network, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing security guarantees. Before this R3 certification, ZTE has also achieved other industry-first EasyMesh™ certifications, with its ZXHN F680 passing the R1 certification in June 2019 and its ZXHN F689 securing the R2 designation in September 2020. According to these certifications, ZTE has proved that its home networking products have industry-leading interoperability and technological capabilities to let operators provide multi-access point (AP) home network services.

During the EasyMesh™ R3 certification, the ZXHN F8648P PON ONT passed all the key functional tests in one go, including general EasyMesh items like link establishment, device discovery, topology display, automatic configuration and wireless roaming, as well as R3-specific items like Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP) authentication, network Quality of Service (QoS), mesh capability extension through the addition of Wi-Fi 6 support, and network security. Passing the tests is testimony to not only ZTE’s excellent product capabilities for home networks, but also ZTE’s leadership in multi-AP home networking technologies.

Although the WFA has not officially issued EasyMesh™ R4, ZTE is carrying out research and verification of the new requirements that may be incorporated into the new specifications, such as Wi-Fi 6 adaptation, air interface QoS, and parameter collection for remote diagnostics.

The WFA EasyMesh™ certification program is a standards-based approach to multi-AP Wi-Fi networking solutions. It aims to promote industry standardization and the rapid development of the home networking market by enabling multi-vendor interoperability and facilitating the installation and use of mesh Wi-Fi networks.

ZTE leads in the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) field by virtue of its strong R&D capabilities, superior innovation capacities, and the widespread adoption of its products across global markets. In 2021, ZTE ranked first globally for PON ONT shipments, according to data from research firm Dell’Oro Group.