Electronic Frontier Foundation
User rights & privacy
The right to understand, repair and control the hardware you paid for — and to keep what happens on your connection private.
Open PON Foundation
Opening the future of
network connectivity
Passive optical networks are the last mile for hundreds of millions of subscribers, yet the equipment at the end of that fibre has long been closed, locked and disposable. We work to change that — with open firmware, cross-vendor interoperability and the simple principle that the device in your home should be yours.
- Openness
- Cross-vendor compatibility
- Ease of access
- User-owned equipment
- Privacy
—Countries with working deployments
—Open vendor firmware projects
—Key contributors worldwide
—Supported device families
Mission
An open last mile, built on principles that already have a track record
Open PON Foundation is a volunteer, vendor-neutral effort. Our vision aligns with three organisations that have already proven these ideas at scale.
Open Networking Foundation
Open, disaggregated networks
Open PON standards and interoperable, software-defined access, rather than a network defined end to end by a single vendor.
Linux Foundation
Open collaboration
Neutral governance, shared engineering effort and open source as the practical way to build infrastructure that outlives any one company.
Cross-vendor compatibility
One stick that speaks to many OLTs. Compatibility work sits at the core of every firmware project we support, because interoperability is what makes choice real.
Ease of access
Clear guides, reachable regional suppliers and tooling that does not demand a lab bench. Knowledge that stays locked inside private forums helps no one.
User-owned equipment
Your ONT is part of your network, not an unremovable extension of the operator’s. Bring your own device, keep your own router, replace it when you choose.
Privacy
No vendor cloud, no silent telemetry. Where an operator mandates TR-069, the firmware emulates it — management gets its answer, and nothing personal leaves your network.
A word on responsibility
Open PON Foundation discourages reckless DIY deployment. PON is a shared medium — one misbehaving ONU affects every subscriber on the split.
Read the safety notice →Open Vendor Firmware
Independent firmware for GPON and XGS-PON
Community-built firmware projects, each maintained by the people who reverse engineered the platform it runs on.
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Supported Devices
Hardware known to host our sticks
Compatibility is reported from field deployments. Always validate your specific model and firmware revision before rolling out. Pair an open stick with an OpenWrt host and the whole path from the fibre to the LAN is open source.
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Coverage
Countries where it works today
Working deployments reported by the community. Operator names are listed where contributors have verified them directly.
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Key People
The people behind the foundation
Developers, testers and reverse engineers across four continents, working in the open.
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Supporters
Companies backing this movement
Operators, integrators and technology companies that support open PON in production networks, not just on the bench.
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Regional Suppliers
Where to source a stick, and who can deploy it
Regional suppliers and resellers who understand the local operator landscape. Engaging a professional integrator is strongly preferred over self-deployment.
- Managed IT · MSP Takes the deployment end to end — fibre, ONT, routing and access points — with every piece procured in your own name.
- Trade supply A business you buy hardware from, deployment left to you or your own integrator.
- Community supply An individual who supplies sticks and helps with firmware. Their time is given voluntarily, so treat it as a favour rather than a support contract.
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Safety Notice
Custom GPON SFP ONTs must be handled with extreme caution
Custom GPON SFP ONTs operate outside standard ISP-controlled environments. Improper configuration or non-compliant behaviour can destabilise the optical network. A single faulty ONU may trigger a PON-wide disruption, impacting multiple subscribers on the same fibre split. Network operators actively monitor such anomalies and may enforce service suspension, account bans, or financial penalties.
Operational risks
PON blackout events
Misbehaving ONTs can disrupt upstream synchronisation, affecting all users on the same GPON segment.
ISP enforcement actions
Unauthorised devices or configurations may result in immediate disconnection, blacklisting, or penalties.
Unpredictable stability
Custom firmware and configurations may lead to intermittent connectivity or complete service failure.
Responsibility & support
This project promotes open knowledge and interoperability, not reckless deployment.
All experimentation is performed at your own risk. Contributors may provide guidance when available, but support is voluntary, limited, and not guaranteed.
- Do not endanger shared infrastructure.
- Do not disrupt others.
- Proceed with discipline.
A live network is not a place to experiment. Have your deployment planned, installed and tested by a professional — that is what our regional integrators are for.
Principle
Open networking requires responsibility!