India Telecom

T&M is a management tool as networks move to IP

Evolving network technology is mutating the Test and Measurement systems industry to the centre-stage of network management and customer satisfaction. “T&M is now more a management tool than a measurement tool.” says Vishnu goel, an industry expert in an overview of T&M.

Due to several environmental factors impacting its development and growth, the test and management industry globally and in India is passing through a critical evolutionary phase. The large scale depression of global telecom companies, continuously challenging testing needs, and competing network technologies are driving the demand for responsible T&M supplies and services. However, the telecom sector remains a key market in those countries, including India, where the infrastructure is growing fast.

All telecom companies realize the importance and criticality of proper test and management tools whether they are enterprise, manufacturers or service providers. At every stage of a network/element roll out, the pressure on these companies is to be productive, reach the market timely with volumes, provide better CoS - Class of Service, and QoS - Quality of Service. Therefore, T&M vendors today, have to address all elements of the network, whatever be the mix of technology and the phase of network roll-out. Basically, T&M is now a management tool, and not merely a box, making open-ended measurement of parameters.

Conformity to ITU or other industry standards is becoming a greater challenge. Most of this is due to a transition from circuit switching to IP where new technologies hold promise for increasing data traffic. Direct transmission of IP over optical, with ATM, FR and SDH is being phased out progressively. IP VPN’s need to flexibly migrate from existing technologies has been done by a new IP-enabled CoS. A full range of QoS options can be supported by the use of MPLS - Multi-Protocol Label Switching. The testing and management of different protocols, across these evolving technologies is the key for modern T&M.

So, basically communication network testing, monitoring and management with respect to the new CoS and QoS are driving the demands of T&M solutions. These demands are evolving at the core or access sides of the network almost uniformly in optical, cable, access or wireless.

At home, the T&M industry is unable to position itself as a key tool for enterprises and service providers in enhancing their business results – namely for QoS, productivity and hopefully profitability. So it remains pureplay hardware and therefore its business is highly commoditised. There is therefore a great opportunity for all the T&M vendors to offer value enhancing test and management services in their respective T&M niches.