PDF of this tutorialAs more users and competition enter the bundled services market, operational expectations will match or supersede those of the local access network today. In addition to the complexity of the voice network, an LEC will have to maintain a data network that is at least as complex. The steps involved in accessing a Web site—setting the PC configuration; navigating the browser; entering the universal resource locator (URL); negotiating routers, firewalls, ports, links, and servers; pointing and clicking; waiting—waiting and downloading the Web page—are operations that will increasingly need to work reliably. When they fail, the problem will need to be diagnosed with the customer on the line and repaired quickly. In many cases, even though the LEC is not the owner of the problem, consumers will turn to them for support.
Also, the carrier will have to provision copper access lines for higher-bandwidth services, such as 56-kbps analog modem speed, basic-rate ISDN, and xDSL. Questions arise concerning whether or not the local loop has the ability to support the required characteristics for these technologies. Ideally, if the carrier knew the capability of all of the local loops, it may have the opportunity to generate revenue for new higher-bandwidth services as well as react to customer trouble reports relating to speed.
With the complexity of the services and the infrastructure required to support them, the carrier needs a support system with the ability to perform the following services:
- prequalify and provision new services reliability and quickly
- proactively test the network to ensure that faults are identified and repaired before they affect service
- respond quickly and accurately to customer-reported problems
Table 1 shows the information that a carrier must provide to support the emerging networks both today and in the future.
| Process Step | Customer | Receptionist | Repair Technician |
| Qualification | |||
| Determine the ability for an access line to support the requested service | What (56–kbps, ISDN, ADSL) can I get? When can I get it? | What (56–kbps, ISDN, ADSL) can the loop support? Can the facilities support it? Can I offer the service? When can it be installed? | Has the loop been qualified? Are the facilities ready? |
| Installation Verification | |||
| Verification that all new and existing services perform to standards | Do all the pieces (phone, voice mail, e-mail, ISP access, and Internet access) work? | Was service installed? When? Was service verified? What were the results? | Perform verification tests (phone, voice mail, e-mail, ISP access, Internet access, and caller ID). Close out service ticket. |
| End-to-End Internet Testing | |||
| Ability to diagnose problems with Internet access from the customer PC to the Internet | I cannot reach "www.___.com;" I cannot dial my ISP; My system crashes; My Internet access is slow; I keep getting error 404; I have a 56–kbps modem and I . . . | What is the problem? What questions do I ask? Where is the problem? Who owns the problem? Can I fix the problem? Whom should I dispatch? Close with the customer. | What is the problem? Where is the problem? Can I test remotely? Do I need to roll the truck? What do I test? What test equipment do I need? What do all these measurements mean? Have I fixed the problem? Verify all new and existing services? |
Table 1: Carrier-Provided Information
