A new day in testing

As the effects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 send big ripples through the industry, testing equipment companies are adapting to their customers' new needs. The growth of competitive local exchange carriers has spurred many testing companies to develop smaller scale or remote testing equipment that is more convenient for smaller players.

With the growing understanding of network complexity, some companies are choosing to focus more on the business side of testing than on the engineering side, which means an emphasis on individual customer service and a new look at the local loop. Finally, newer technologies and specialized services such as digital subscriber line (DSL) and ISDN, respectively, bring additional challenges to the testing community.

These trends will be evident at Supercomm '98.

Network management The trend in network testing this year seems to be adding capabilities rather than developing new products.

Hewlett-Packard Co. will unveil a business intelligence capability for its AcceSS7 monitoring system that interprets SS7 traffic flow. AcceSS7, developed four years ago by HP's Telecom Systems division, is built into network switches and pulls SS7 messages to use for surveillance and trouble-shooting, fraud detection and billing data collection.

The new capability can pull traffic data and identify call origination and termination locations. The ability to see where calls terminate is unique to this product and lets carriers plan for future network capacity demands, says Paul Gowans, product manager. "They can make informed decisions from this information because the data offers valuable insight into the network," he says.

Business intelligence was developed because of huge changes in the industry affecting the Bell regional holding companies. The phenomenal increase in Internet traffic has had a devastating effect on bandwidth, and deregulation has brought a great deal of competition to the industry landscape, Gowans notes.

These changes mean that large carriers must monitor and plan network use more carefully. Because the new capability can show where each call begins and ends and breaks down types of calls, carriers can determine where they need to route calls or where additional connections need to be made, Gowans says. AcceSS7 can be used with a Web browser to send data directly to the desktop.

A new capability for Inet Inc.'s Geoprobe network management system also will be on display at Supercomm. The system, which can reconstruct calls in an SS7 network, now lets users pull all information about an individual call within minutes and direct it to a desktop.

This customer-centric approach is a good way for carriers to maintain individual service quality, which is becoming more important in such a competitive industry, says Kevin Keough, vice president of marketing at Inet.

"It's not good enough to just have good technology any more. You have to think about how it's working for each customer," he says.

The Intelligent Network Diagnostics division of Tekelec has created an SS7 network monitoring system for wireless and wireline operators called MGTS 2000. The scalable system can provide four to 56 monitoring links per probe so both small and large service providers can use it (Figure 1).

The system not only indicates faults in the network but also provides tools for problem isolation, analysis and resolution confirmation. It has an intrusive capability, which lets operators prevent problems, says Dan Bantukul, product manager. Market trials for the MGTS 2000 started at the end of April, and the system will be available for shipping in July.

Network-related test equipment at Supercomm will include Redcom Labs Inc.'s Tele Traffic Generator-a multiple call-generating device that simulates traffic on a telecom switching system. It has several features and network interfaces to ensure its compatibility with many kinds of testing, including analog and digital trunks and two-way transmission testing.

Protel Inc. will introduce Ghepardo, an Internet-based system that analyzes and tests signaling protocols and generates traffic. Because it has a Web-based client/server architecture, it can be used with a standard browser over any Internet protocol network.

It can test up to 16 circuits over T-1/E-1, ISDN and several other interfaces. The system offers real-time alarms and status reports that can be delivered over e-mail.

Hekimian Laboratories Inc. is getting more personal with a new single-user version of its React 2001 operations support system.

"Smaller companies don't want to pay for big versions of systems; they need the same functionality on an individual, remote basis," says Frank Schmersal, manager of marketing communications at Hekimian. The new version can run on a PC or laptop and can be used by field technicians and installers, as well as small carriers.

Hekimian also will introduce a new PM Integrator performance monitoring support system for network performance report messages.

Fiber optic testing The advancing development of complex fiber networks has required fiber optic testing to be ever more adaptable, portable and efficient. The new CMA400 optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) from GN-Nettset, with its Category 5 ability to test both fiber and copper, is an example of that adaptability, says Maureen Hanson, marketing communications manager.

The unit can be controlled through a customer's computer, which makes the product more affordable than other OTDRs that have to be connected through an on-board computer, Hanson says.

Wavetek Instruments also is introducing an OTDR, the MTS 5200. It is mainframe yet lightweight and is priced 30% lower than other mainframe products on the market, company officials say. About the size of a laptop computer, it offers large data capacity, a high-resolution display and a printing option that is unique to OTDRs. Several plug-in options make the productcapable of handling most fiber optic tests.

Wavetek's new partner, Wandel & Goltermann, will have a separate booth at Supercomm. The company's recently introduced ANT20 advanced network tester can be used for measurements on plesiochronous digital hierarchy, synchronous digital hierarchy, Sonet and ATM permanent virtual circuit and switched virtual circuit networks. Wandel & Goltermann will debut an OC-12 capability that allows for various Sonet speeds and different data structures.

Anritsu Corp. will feature a new remote fiber test system it describes as a "complete integrated solution for testing and managing fiber networks." The system combines access, test, fault location and an operations system; offers four to 48 optical ports; and can accurately measure long-distance fiber networks of more than 200 kilometers. The company also will introduce a broadband test system aimed at the DS-0 to DS-3 and Sonet markets.

Finally, Noyes Fiber Systems will show three specialized fiber test products. The VFS1 video fiber scope is a portable video microscope used to inspect fiber optic connectors in patch panels, distribution frames, network equipment and test equipment.

The new OPM6/OLS6 optical power meter and light source provides a high level of dual wavelength optical loss testing on single-mode or multimode fibers. HiLite is a compact red laser source that finds faults on fiber optic cables in distribution frames, patch panels, splice trays and OTDR dead zones. The company also will show several other fiber test products.

Wireless Tektronix Inc. will debut its first wireless tests-SS7 analysis tools to support wireless services. The move results from the company's acquisition of Siemens Communication Test Equipment last September. The company also will display equipment for base station and mobile phone testing of code division multiple access (CDMA), PCS 1900 and GSM technologies.

Noise Com, a test equipment manufacturer that focuses entirely on wireless testing, will show several new tests including CATS-98A CDMA automated test software for mobile receivers and transmitters, a platform called MP2700 for the company's line of multipath fading emulators, and a satellite link emulator series test system that can be run on a Windows-based computer.

Hand-held testing A few tests are notable for their hand-held portability. Metro Tel is featuring two hand-held tests at Supercomm, says product manager Richard Wildman.

The DSR-224 compact T-1 pattern receiver can be used in the field or at the central office. It automatically synchronizes to all standard industry patterns, measures T-1 level and frequency, and offers complete error and alarm reporting.

The DSR-214 T-1 receiver measures and displays level and frequency per channel. Both have tilted display screens for viewing. But it's their prices that make the products unique, Wildman says. The advertised price for the DSR-224 is $1095, compared with most T-1 pattern receivers that go for more than $2200, he says.

Telecommunications Techniques Corp. will debut a hand-held product at Supercomm, but it's more like a laptop computer than a test device. The T-Berd 109XC subscriber loop analyzer combines POTS and ISDN testing.

Packaged within a rugged Itronix mobile computer, the 109XC combines wireless connectivity with an integrated test set that features all-in-one testing, automated close out, quick fault isolation and adaptability to digital services.

This is TTC's first venture into local loop testing, which has become extremely important with deregulation, says Greg Quiggle, product line manager. The new product should be cost-efficient for small carriers because it combines several tests in one and reduces repeat testing, which cuts operating costs.

Harris Corp. also will introduce a hand-held computer at Supercomm. The AD2000 is a workforce management system that accesses testing units. The company will show a new line test for non-voice calls, two butt sets and a customer care system called SmartCare that is designed to interface between a carrier's employees and subscribers.

Specialized testing and new technologies With the explosion of variety in new technologies such as DSL, ISDN and asynchronous transfer mode, test equipment manufacturers have moved quickly to address the needs of specialized service deployers.

Microtronix will demonstrate its new ISDN test system that, according to company officials, performs tests with accurate and repeatable results. "Our customers have been asking for very specialized testing like this, and that's our main business," says Karen Auzins, vice president of marketing. Test programs include Layers 1, 2 and 3; D channel keypad signaling; DTMF signaling; ringer; acoustic transmission; and bit error rate tests.

Harris also has a recently introduced ISDN test set in two models, TS220 and TS250. Both can be used for pre-qualification, installation, testing and maintenance of ISDN subscriber lines. They are hand-held and offer intuitive menu selection and clear error messaging.

A new protocol vital signs test from Hekimian will offer support for DSL circuits. The PVS family already includes tests for switched megabit data service, frame relay and ISDN, and its move to DSL shows that Hekimian is producing the logical testing systems necessary to maintain new services, says Schmersal.

Fluke Corp.'s DSL OneTouch installation assistant was introduced in August, but it's received a great deal of exposure recently, a spokeswoman says. The hand-held tool has an icon-based interface and touch-sensitive screen, measures end-to-end DSL transmission rates and can troubleshoot Ethernet network connections. Fluke also will show an enterprise LANMeter test tool and will announce a new bundled package of ATM analyzers. Information on the latter was not finalized at press time.

Tektronix Inc. will show a time domain reflectometer that can be used to deploy digital services such as DSL and ISDN. The hand-held TelScout TS90 can install and maintain a twisted-pair plant. Outside plant technicians can use it to identify and locate faults in twisted-pair cable. Users need only choose the cable type to test,and the instrument automatically selects the specifications, making it easy to use, company officials say.

For special services circuits, Anritsu has developed Tapestry, an integrated test, performance monitoring and alarm operations system. It can be used for analog, digital data service, DS-1 and DS-3 services and features automated testing with pass/fail results.

The company also will show LoopMATE, a test system for next generation digital loop carrier and DLC facilities. The system's slim, remote architecture, which allows it to fit in a single rack space at the remote terminal, shifts the burden of test complexity from the terminal to the CO, company officials say.

Hadax Electronics will show a compact remote test access unit for DS-1 circuits. Although the company already provides several related circuit tests, this move to remote testing is part of a larger trend, says David Foni, vice president of sales and marketing.

"Carriers are trying to expand and provide end-to-end capability, but they're not able to have as many people in the field," he says. Remote testing offers a cost-efficient solution to this problem.

To get even more specialized, take a look at network equipment building system (NEBS) testing, a specialty of Intertek Testing Services. NEBS is performance and regulatory testing of test equipment in and out of the CO. It includes airborne and earthquake tests as well as regulatory standards testing. This year, the company will introduce a NEBS earthquake test for test equipment.