Table of Contents:

Definition and Overview

1. Introduction

2. The Basic Components of Test Management

3. Right-Sizing a DSL Test Access Solution

4. Conclusion—Modularity Is the Key to Success

Self-Test

Glossary

PDF of this tutorial

Reducing Service Activation Costs

The first objective of any DSL test plan is to test remote customer loops from a central command center or network operations center (NOC). This capability, commonly referred to as single-ended testing, enables service providers to do the following:

• Prequalify loops for DSL service
• Identify disturbers in the binder group
• Verify acceptance criteria for new installations
• Resolve post-installation issues

All of these capabilities should be accomplished without dispatching an engineer to the central office or customer site. The resulting savings are clearly significant with respect to actual costs of service activation. Perhaps more important, a significant savings in time and effort is also realized, allowing the service provider to secure a larger revenue base quicker and with a higher degree of customer satisfaction.

Building Blocks of a DSL Test System

A DSL loop management and test system consists of three basic components:

1. Test access
2. Test instruments
3. Test automation

These three components must work together to establish an ordered process for testing, provisioning, and documenting DSL service deployments. These three components can be purchased individually or as a suite. It should be understood, however, that over time, each component will likely need to evolve independently of the others to address new issues, changing requirements, and better technology.

The purpose of this tutorial is to help service providers understand the role of each of these components and to use this information to implement a DSL test system that meets the unique needs of the network rollout.