End-to-end agreement: IXC opens interoperability lab for testing vendor gear

Fiber network operator IXC Communications is building a new facility that will serve as a proving ground for new services and give network equipment vendors a chance to test the interoperability of their gear.

IXC's Interoperability Lab, which is in the first phase of completion in Austin, Texas, will house more than $8 million worth of network equipment from about 30 suppliers, including Alcatel, Cisco Systems, Newbridge Networks and Nortel Networks. IXC's intention is to duplicate the workings of its coast-to-coast fiber network by implementing network technologies and services such as asynchronous transfer mode, Internet protocol, frame relay, voice over IP, Sonet and dense wavelength division multiplexing.

"It has all the infrastructure that we have in place for the larger network," said Joe Shah, director of data services at IXC. "It also connects to the larger network so we can test applications."

While the lab's general goal is to evaluate network and equipment interoperability, it will also be the place where services are examined in-depth before they are put into the revenue-generating world where the carrier must consistently meet the service guarantees it promises its customers, Shah said. "It's also for concept testing to see if things are going to work," he said. "You have to make sure you are able to meet service level agreements."

IXC also plans to pay particular attention to the integration of customer gear in an effort to ensure end-to-end interoperability.

"The intelligence in the network is more toward the edge and the customer premises equipment as opposed to the core," Shah said. "There's more need for testing of applications than just the testing of the network. The lab is a key component of providing quality solutions to the customer."

One industry analyst said the trend toward tighter integration of CPE into the network means carriers must be more selective about what inhabits the outskirts of their networks.

"Since there's such an explosion of equipment on the customer side, carriers don't always know what's being put on the network," said Mathew Steinberg, director of optical networking at Ryan Hankin Kent. "They need to be able to simulate it."

IXC's lab will also be used for internal training, and in times of tight carrier competition for a dwindling number of qualified network engineers, the existence of a controlled testing environment could ultimately be a valuable recruiting tool.

"Engineers like to be hands-on-they like to play with various parts of the network," Shah said.

All the functions of the lab will tie in to IXC's network operations support systems so that the carrier can monitor how different types of equipment affect software control and monitoring mechanisms, Shah said.

"Without that you can't make sure you can manage the network," he said. "You have to make sure your network management system is scalable, and integration becomes a key part of your network because there are so many pieces to monitor."

The increasing trend toward carrier lab testing of vendor gear does not remove the burden from equipment developers, Steinberg said. Rather, it prompts vendors to become even more thorough in their interoperability work, he said.

"They're going to have to show interworking of equipment more and more," Steinberg said. "The operators are pushing hard and saying, 'show me that you're interoperable.'" IXC expects the Interoperability Lab to double in size over the next 18 months as more equipment is installed. Eventually the staff will include more than 20 engineers.

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