Telecom Testing : A Beginner's Insight

What is telecom testing?

Telecom domain is one of the hottest domain around.But Most of the domains possess similar testing culture and basics are very much handy.Testing in Telecom mostly revolves around the connections like IP based connections like FR, ATM, DSL, PL, IPL, Data transfers and their respective speeds, hardware devices etc. though you would not need to test all this.You may be assigned on one subject like FR, ATM etc and you need to work on it as per requirements.To be more specific, depending upon the protocols or the applications your company is into , you would probably be asked to master a particular feature/protocol etc.

In general, Telecom testing is an automated, controlled method of verifying operation of your products before they go to market. Any product that connects to the PSTN (public switched telephone network) or a telecom switch (PBX) can be tested with a telephone line simulator, bulk call generator, or similar telecom test platform. Telecom testing is ideal for all telephony applications and equipment, including:
· IVR systems
· Switching systems
· CTI applications
· VoIP gateways
· IADs

Why use a telecom testing solution?
A telecom test platform minimizes costs and simplifies engineering, QA, and production testing, as well as integration and pre-installation testing. A test solution can simulate telephony protocols and functions for:
· Feature and performance testing
· Load and stress testing
· Bulk call generation
· Quality of service testing
· Equipment demos and product training
An automated telecom test solution provides comprehensive, consistent testing that can be customized for your specific application. In addition, thorough testing will provide peace-of-mind for you and guaranteed reliability for your customers.

Telecom Testing varies from country to country:

Telecom Testing for North America
In the United States , the telecom testing requirement is the TIS-968-A standard and the FCC Part 68 standard. The majority of the telecom requirements are in the TIA-968-A standard however, some requirements are still in FCC Part 68. In the USA the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachment (ACTA) administers the telecom testing. In Canada the telecom testing requirement is the Industry Canada CS-03 specification

Telecom Testing For Australia
In Australia , the telecom testing requirements are mainly located in the Australia Communications Authority (ACA) S002 standard. Depending on the equipment type, ACA S003, ACA S004, or other ACA standards might apply. The telecom testing in Australia is self-declaration process.

Telecom Testing For Japan
In Japan , the Japanese Approvals Institute publishes the telecom testing requirements for Telecom Equipment (JATE). JATE publishes the technical requirements for both equipment that connects to the public switched telephone network and to private or leased lines. The old common name for the technical requirements is the Blue and Green Books.

Telecom Testing For Singapore
The telecom testing requirements are published by the Indo-Communications Development Authority of Singapore (iDA Singapore ). For equipment that connects to the public switched telephone network the standard is iDA TS PSTN 1. For equipment that connects to the digital network the standard is iDA DLCN 1.

Telecom Testing For Europe
The European Telecom Standards Institute (ETSI) is an independent, non-profit organization, to produce telecom testing standards. Based in Sophia Antipolis (France), the European Telecom Standards Institute (ETSI) is officially responsible for standardization of within Europe . These technologies include Telecom, broadcasting and related areas such as intelligent transportation and medical electronics. Popular ETSI standards are TBR 12, TBR 13, TBR 21, and TBR 38.

Telecom Testing For Hong Kong
In Hong Kong , the Office of the Telecom Authority (OFA) operates a Hong Kong Telecom Equipment Evaluation and Certification (HKTEC) scheme. The technical requirements are published in documents in the HKTA series issued by the Telecom Authority. Common HATA standards are 2011, 2017, and 2023 for analog and digital equipment.

Telecom Testing For New Zealand
The Telecom testing requirements for New Zealand are published by Telecom New Zealand. The Telecom New Zealand scheme is call Telepermit. The most common standard is PTC 200: Requirements for Analog Telecom Equipment. Other standards are published for digital equipment.

Why use a Automated telecom testing solution?
A telecom test platform minimizes costs and simplifies engineering, QA, and production testing, as well as integration and pre-installation testing. A test solution can simulate telephony protocols and functions for:
· Feature and performance testing
· Load and stress testing
· Bulk call generation
· Quality of service testing
· Equipment demos and product training
An automated telecom test solution provides comprehensive, consistent testing that can be customized for your specific application. In addition, thorough testing will provide peace-of-mind for you and guaranteed reliability for your customers.

Various type of telecom testing:

1) Conformance means ensuring that a product obeys the protocol (e.g. ITU-T or PNO-ISC) at the physical interface. Once this phase is passed, the product can go forward to interconnect testing.

Q.781 This Recommendation contains a set of tests for SS7 MTP (Message Transfer Part) level 2. These tests intend to validate the protocol specified in Recommendation Q.703. This Recommendation conforms to Recommendation Q.780 which describes the basic rules of the Test Specifications.
Q.782This Recommendation contains a set of tests for SS7 MTP (Message Transfer Part) level 3. These tests intend to validate the protocol specified in Recommendations Q.704 and Q.707.
Q.784.1 This Recommendation contains a suite of tests for the Signalling System No. 7 Integrated Services Digital Network User Part (ISUP). These tests are intended to validate the protocol specified in ISUP'92 Recommendations Q.761 – Q.764 and Q.767.
Q.785 This Recommendation contains a suite of tests for the supplementary services supported by SS7 ISUP. Details of these services can be found in Blue Book (1988) Recommendation Q.730. It should be noted that this test Recommendation covers those services which can be regarded as stable and clearly specified in Blue Book (1988) Recommendation Q.730.
PNO-ISC 005 This document specifies the requirements of the MTP (Message Transfer Part) that are standardised for use across a national interconnect between Public Network Operators.
PNO-ISC 006 This specification covers the signalling procedures, formats and codes that are used to support standard customer services and network features at the point of interconnection between public networks in the UK using the SS7 IUP (Interconnection User Part) protocol.
PNO-ISC 007 This UK-ISUP specification has been produced by the Public Network Operators Interconnect Standards Committee. This document specifies the ISUP protocol required for the national interface between public network operators in the UK.

2)Interconnection testing: Interconnect typically involves testing the connection of two separate entities, usually two networks or network elements. Interconnects in the fixed/mobile network environment will have regulatory requirements or standards if BT is involved. Basic interconnect is concerned with robustness and integrity of the interface.

3)Conformance Testing: Following testings are done here:
- Electrical interface compatibility, e.g. (G703).
- Conformance of protocol, e.g. ITU-T spec.
- Conformance of transport layers (MTP2/3). It is important to ensure agreement of the relevant data standards for the two networks/elements and any differences in operating procedures, (e.g., disaster recovery etc.), which may differ.

4)IVR Testing
Test your IVR system to verify proper operation, voice and DTMF response, and eliminate dead-end menu branches.
An IVR (interactive voice response) system can be a complicated maze of menus, branches, and choices. Complex systems of this type require in-depth testing to ensure that customers are not confused or lost.
IVR manufacturers, systems integrators, and companies that own an IVR, all need to test the functionality of their system before it goes live to the outside world. An automated test platform enables you to verify IVR operations via:
  DTMF entries
  Detection of voice energy
  Broadband audio tones
  Extensive conditional branching sequences
  Interactive test scenarios
Comprehensive testing ensures that your IVR system is ready for customer use. Testing provides peace-of-mind and reliable operation of your voice system. In addition, testing all IVR menu branches manually is time consuming, error prone, and inefficient.

What skill sets you need to have as a Telecom Tester?

1) Experience with testing VoIP line devices (SIP soft & hard clients, ATA)
Experience with Nortel environment/tools
2) Experience testing telecom solutions (Nortel or other vendors)
3)Experience with testing VoIP line devices (SIP soft & hard clients, ATA)
4)Familiarity with traffic tool (Nortel in-house Hurricane tool, Ameritec Crescendo/Fortissimo, Navtel)
5)Automation skills (we have our our tools in Nortel, but someone with automation skills in telephony callP services and/or OAM)Experience with Solaris,
6)LinuxExperience with PBXsSuccession CS2K knowledgeLarge system test experience
7)Experience with IP tools (sniffer, voice quality testing, automated fax/modem testing.
8)IP Telephony (VoIP) knowledge (SIP/H.323, MEGACO/H.248, NCS, MGCF)
9)IMS standards knowledge (802.11, Cable V2)
10)IMS architecture and network topologyIP Networking experience/understanding