The Broadband Forum’s Connected User (Broadband User Services) Work Area is actively developing WT-517: “MatterService Data Model for USP-enabled Devices.” This new data model will enable the Forum’s User Services Platform (USP, TR‑369) agents – typically in customer premises equipment like routers or gateways – to expose and manage devices that speak the CSA’s Matter smart‑home protocol. In practical terms, WT-517 will define a MatterService object in the USP data model, along with a Theory of Operations and design guide to “translate Matter concepts into USP concepts”. By embedding Matter support into the USP framework (TR‑181/Device:2 data model), broadband providers can manage all supported Matter devices via a single, standards‑driven cloud controller regardless of vendor.
The key objective of WT-517 is to simplify and unify smart‑home management. Currently, Matter devices (TVs, speakers, thermostats, etc.) are controlled by phone apps or proprietary hubs. Integrating Matter with USP lets service providers handle every Matter‑compatible device through one platform. As Broadband Forum’s Jason Walls explains, this “levels the playing field” by unifying the end‑user experience on a single Matter‑enabled gateway. Industry media emphasize that BSPs/ISPs will be able to “deploy, monitor and control smart devices more efficiently, regardless of brand,” offering a truly unified, cloud‑based smart‑home control. In short, the project aims to eliminate app‑fragmentation and make broadband operators key players in smart‑home management, rather than consumers having to cobble together DIY solutions.
- Unified management: All Matter‑enabled devices in the home can be managed via USP (TR‑369) regardless of manufacturer.
- Standard cloud control: USP provides a standards‑driven cloud controller interface, so operators can control Matter devices over broadband instead of through separate smartphone apps.
- Industry collaboration: The project is a joint effort between the Broadband Forum (Connected User Work Area) and the CSA (Matter). Participants highlight that this is “not just a technical upgrade” but a strategic step to drive Matter’s adoption and prepare the entire home ecosystem for the smart‑home revolution.
WT-517 will produce a formal specification (initially marked “TBD”) that details the MatterService data model. According to the Forum’s wiki, the document “describes the MatterService data model as it will appear in a USP Agent’s supported and instantiated data models, such that it can be manipulated via a USP Controller”. It will include how Matter device attributes and capabilities map into USP parameters, events and commands. In practice, the new model will sit under the existing Device:2 framework in TR‑181 (the USP device data model). For example, a Matter light or thermostat would appear as a managed object under the CPE’s data model, with USP commands allowing configuration and control by the network. The Forum’s release notes that the MatterService model “can be incorporated into USP Agents, which typically reside in CPE” and provide services that are “manipulated by the USP Controller”.
WT-517 was publicly announced in November 2024 via a Broadband Forum press release (BusinessWire) and industry news outlets. All sources agree the work is in progress: the spec is slated to be completed by Summer 2025. The Broadband Forum invites interested parties to join the effort (contact [email protected]) and has published preliminary details. The Forum’s wiki currently lists WT-517’s description but marks the deliverable as “TBD”, indicating that drafting is underway. In a LinkedIn blog (Nov. 2024), BBF’s Jason Walls (BUS Work Area co-director) explicitly said the Connected User Work Area “has started the MatterService Data Model… (WT-517), which is slated for completion by the summer of 2025”.
Broadband Forum’s Nov. 11, 2024 press release and member newsletters publicized the Matter–USP initiative. The official statement and quoting of industry figures appeared on news wires and in trade media. For example, CSI Magazine reported that “The upcoming MatterService Data Model for USP-enabled Devices, set for completion by Summer 2025, will support seamless device management and optimize communication between application and control layers”. Likewise, trade sites such as Broadband Communities, The Construction Data and others (e.g. BroadbandCommunities.com, ccimmediate press summaries) covered the announcement, noting the spec name and timeline. An OpenWRT-consulting blog also highlighted the news: “Matter support is going to be described in ‘MatterService Data Model for USP-enabled Devices (WT-517)’… providing ISPs a way to manage and deploy Matter-enabled devices”. Across these reports, leaders from Orange and QA Cafe emphasized that the project is “an opportunity to drive adoption of the Matter standard” and that service providers will “simplify and unify” smart home experiences via the new model.
In summary, WT-517 is an active working item: the Connected User Work Area is drafting the specification and expects it to enter review before Summer 2025. Detailed technical content will appear in the final spec (and possibly an overview document) once available. Until then, interested stakeholders (e.g. ISPs, device makers, software vendors) can monitor Broadband Forum publications and the forum’s wiki/news (or contact the Forum directly) for updates. The current public information (cited above) confirms the plan and objectives, but full design details will be published upon completion.
Sources: Key information comes from the Broadband Forum’s own materials and press releases, as well as industry news and blogs that covered the WT-517 announcement. These references collectively detail the project’s scope, leadership statements, and expected timeline.