Schlumberger Announces Software Cuts Interoperability Testing Cycle Required to Meet the TR-57 Spec

Schlumberger Automated Test Equipment (ATE - San Jose, CA), a unit of the Test & Transactions business segment of Schlumberger, announced today the introduction of the TR-57 Compliance Test Package, providing automated test scripts and reports to speed subscriber interface testing. This package is used to automate the subscriber-side verification and characterization of GR-303 based network elements. This telecom test option provides an automated, turnkey solution to perform complex interface testing that was previously a tedious and time-consuming task.

An option available for the S765ST test equipment, the TR-57 Compliance Test Package, according to the company, reduces TR-57 testing from weeks to hours. Schlumberger licenses the TR-57 Compliance Test Scripts from Lucent Technologies. Lucent's Bell Labs developed the TR-57 test scripts to meet their own requirements for testing of the TR-57 specification. Schlumberger can now provide service providers and equipment manufacturers using Schlumberger S765ST test equipment with a single hardware and software solution.

Telecom networks are standardizing on industry-wide specifications to ensure quality and reliability among multiple providers in today's burgeoning telephony market. The GR-303 interface is the intersection point for various network elements and is the network specification that defines the U.S. standard for interoperability among network elements from different manufacturers. This interface is being deployed at Remote Digital Terminals (RDT), where telephone lines fan out to serve individual end users in "the last mile" of the process. Since multiple service providers may now supply telephone service over that last mile, the compliance to the TR-57 specification is paramount in ensuring and maintaining the quality of the voice part of the access network.

To verify TR-57 compliance today, equipment manufacturers and service providers must design and manually set up discrete tests to measure required parameters on individual instruments. Report generation is also characterized by the manual process of recording and formatting documents off-line. With this option, all results are automatically tabulated into standard reports that can be used as is or modified to fit specific purposes.

Schlumberger provides systems and services for testing semiconductor devices. It also offers measurement systems for front-end applications, as well as equipment to test complete electronic assemblies and systems for the telecommunications industry. Schlumberger Test & Transactions provides smart card-based solutions; semiconductor test, metrology and handling systems and services; and corporate IP and network solutions to customers throughout the world.

Schlumberger ATE, Phone: 408-501-7017.

Edited by Paul O'Shea