Telecommunication customer interface

Abstract: A telecommunication network and switching system where digital circuits are supplied to customer terminals for dial-up services and where automatic testing of the access connections to the customer premises is performed whilst calls are not in progress. A loop test unit is provided at the customer's premises near to the customer digital line terminals able to detect a test sequence sent from an exchange when a call is not in progress, the test sequence being recognised by the loop test unit and a test sequence being returned to the exchange to enable the error performance of the link in both directions to be tested.

Description: The present invention relates to a test apparatus for testing access links in a dial-up telecommunications network Dial-up telecommunication services have been principally concerned with providing low bandwidth circuits capable of carry speech. Non dial-up telecommunications services have been provided as permanent private circuits providing various bandwidths. Many of these private circuits are operable to convey digital bit streams. Because the data carried by many of these digital private circuits are supplied by their associated customers, a telecommunications service operator of the circuits does not have any control over data transported through the circuits. The operator therefore may have no opportunity for routinely inserting known data formats in order to ensure that the bit streams are being correctly transported through the circuits. In a European patent application EP 0 208 327 A1, a subscriber connection in a digital link between an exchange and a subscriber terminal is described. In the connection, a code violation monitor is permanently connected to a first line outgoing from the exchange. An output from the monitor providing error pulses is connected via a switching arrangement to a second line incoming to the exchange. An output at a subscriber end of the connection is connected to an exchange-controlled loop switch for selective connection of the subscriber to the exchange. The arrangement provides the capability of monitoring the subscriber connection and thus quality of communication between the exchange and the subscriber with little additional operational expenditure. In the monitor, error monitoring occurs continuously when the connection is in operation. In a German patent application DE 31 35 561 A1, a process is described for routinely testing digital long distance communication links. The process is distinguished in that testing is performed in a period when the links are not actively conveying speech data. Testing is performed by conveying special data from an exchange through the links to a client and back to the exchange again; such testing enables a bit error rate for the links to be determined. In an Australian patent AU-B-494 731, there is disclosed a test apparatus for testing access links in a dial-up telecommunications network. The test apparatus comprises means for transmitting a known sequence during periods where communication traffic is relatively low, and a loop test unit operable upon receiving and detecting the known test sequence to generate a corresponding modified version of the test sequence. Although new multiplexing techniques often involve extra data being carried for enabling suitable performance measuring to be performed, such multiplexing techniques are often not suitable on certain parts of telecommunications networks and in particular on the access interfaces to subscriber's premises. According to the present invention, there is provided a test apparatus for testing access links in a dial-up telecommunications network, the network comprising: (a) an exchange including call control means; (b) a plurality of customer line terminations, each termination connected through a respective access link to the exchange, the link operable to carry data between the exchange and the termination; and (c) signalling link means for conveying instructions from the call control means for controlling connection of the terminations to the exchange, and the apparatus comprising: (d) testing means for transmitting, when no call is in progress, a known test sequence over an access link to be tested towards its corresponding customer line termination; (e) a loop test unit connected to the access link to be tested such that the unit is located at the premises of its associated line termination, said unit being operable upon receiving and detecting the known test sequence to generate a corresponding modified version of the test sequence in response and transmit the modified version over the access link to be tested to the exchange; and (f) analysing means for analysing the modified version of the sequence received at the exchange to check performance in both transmission directions of the access link to be tested, characterised in that the loop test loop unit is operable to monitor the known test sequence for a defined period to determine thereby that no call is in progress before commencing to generate and transmit the modified version of the sequence over the access link to be tested to the exchange. The invention provides the advantage that the apparatus is capable of being used in telecommunications networks for which alternative error bit measurement methods are not suitable. Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a telecommunications network comprising an exchange, a subscriber's digital line terminal, and transmission and signalling links linking from the exchange to the subscriber's terminal; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a digital line termination of the exchange including means for test pattern insertion and also for performing test pattern monitoring; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a test loop unit including means for providing a test loop in the network and for performing test pattern monitoring. These aforementioned diagrams and the following description are concerned with a primary rate 2048 kbits/s transmission although the present invention is also applicable to other rates of transmission. Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a telecommunications network indicated generally by 5. The network 5 comprises a signalling link 10, a 2048 kbits/s link 20, an exchange indicated by 35 including a digital line termination 40, a test loop unit 50 and customer digital line termination equipment 60. The terminal equipment 60 is connected through the signalling link 10 to the exchange 35. Moreover, the terminal equipment 60 is connected via the test loop unit 50 through the transmission link 20 to the digital line termination 40 of the exchange 35. The links 10, 20 function as dial-up links and will be referred to as a 2 Mbits/s link indicated generally by 70 and included within a dotted line 80. When the 2 Mbits/s link 70 is carrying customer traffic, the traffic may be conveyed using one of many possible types of format. Unlike a permanent private circuit which can be carrying continuous customer traffic, the 2 Mbits/s dial-up link 70 is not always carrying customer traffic. A conventional subscriber low-bandwidth analogue copper pair is operated in a reduced power state when not in use carrying customer traffic; in contrast, 2 Mbits/s lines in communication systems normally stay fully powered even when not carrying useful customer traffic. Consequently, the link 70 regularly has no call in progress when used for a dial-up 2 Mbits/s service. In the case of an ordinary analogue call, a subscriber making the call can ring off in order to clear the call if the subscriber believes the call has become disconnected or the connection quality is too bad. Similarly, subscriber equipment making a call through a 2 Mbits/s transmission link may initiate a clear via an associated parallel signalling link if the subscriber equipment detects that the transmission link is no longer satisfactory. Means for operating a parallel signalling link are described in a United Kingdom patent application no. GB 931 9449.6. Whenever a clear is actioned, the result is that there is no call in progress. Therefore, there arises an opportunity to test 2 Mbits/s circuits from an associated exchange through to corresponding subscriber's premises while there are no calls in progress; this is an important aspect of the present invention. In the network 5, once a call control function has determined that there is no call in progress, the exchange digital line termination 40 can be instructed to continuously insert a defined test sequence into traffic flowing between the line termination 40 and the test loop unit 50. Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown the digital line termination 40. This termination 40 provides means by which call control in the network 5 can indicate to the termination 40 that there is no call in progress. The means provides such indication by clearing a path across a digital switch of the termination 40 such that the switch outputs an idle pattern which is clearly distinguishable from normal traffic which propagates along the path when the path is established for conveying a call. For example, when the network 5 is conveying actual calls to the terminal equipment 60, SDH data formats can be employed in traffic passing through the transmission link 20; the idle patterns conveyed through the transmission path 20 when calls are not in progress are chosen so that they cannot imitate the SDH formats. The idle pattern can include a formatted test sequence based on a G. 704 format of 32 time slots with a 4-bit cyclic redundancy (CRC-4) check comprising: (a) a time slot zero containing a frame alignment signal as well as a CRC-4 multiframe and correct CRC-4 check sums for transmitted data from the termination 40; and (b) further 31 time slots containing standard and recognisable patterns. Referring now to Figure 3, the test loop unit 50 functions as part of an access network from the exchange 35 to the customer. The unit 50 is not part of the customer's digital line terminal 60, although it is appropriate to site the test loop unit 50 at the customer's premises. The test loop unit 50 includes means for recognising the test sequence inserted by the digital line termination 40. When the test loop unit 50 has been continuously receiving the test sequence for longer than defined period of time, the unit 50 replaces a digital stream output from the customer's terminal equipment 60 directed to the exchange 35 with a modified form of the test sequence; the unit 50 directs the modified form of the test sequence back to the exchange 35. The modified form of the test sequence differs from the test sequence output from the termination 40 in that the time slot zero contains a new frame alignment signal as well as a CRC-4 error multiframe and correct CRC-4 check sums for the transmitted data. Also included in the time slot zero are any remote alarm indication signals and CRC-4 error indication bits relating to the 2 Mbits/s interface received by the test loop unit 50 from the digital line termination 40 at the exchange 35. From the received time slot information including the remote alarm indication signals as well as the CRC-4 bits and CRC-4 error indication bits, the digital line termination 40 can determine the error performance for both directions of transmission of the link 70 from the digital line termination 40 as far as the test loop unit 50 at the customer's premises.

Claims: A test apparatus for testing access links in a dial-up telecommunications network (5), the network (5) comprising: (a) an exchange (35) including call control means; (b) a plurality of customer line terminations (60), each termination (60) connected through an access link (20) to the exchange (35), the link (20) operable to carry data between the exchange (35) and the termination (60); and (c) signalling link means (10) for conveying instructions from the call control means for controlling connection of the terminations (60) to the exchange (35), and the apparatus (40, 50) comprising: (d) testing means (40) for transmitting, when no call is in progress, a known test sequence over an access link (20) to be tested towards its corresponding customer line termination (60); (e) a loop test unit (50) connected to the access link (20) to be tested such that the unit (50) is located at the premises of its associated line termination (60), said unit (50) being operable upon receiving and detecting the known test sequence to generate a corresponding modified version of the test sequence in response and transmit the modified version over the access link (20) to be tested to the exchange (35); and (f) analysing means for analysing the modified version of the sequence received at the exchange (35) to check performance in both transmission directions of the access link (20) to be tested, characterised in that the loop test unit (50) is operable to monitor the known test sequence for a defined period to determine thereby that no call is in progress before commencing to generate and transmit the modified version of the sequence over the access link (20) to be tested to the exchange (35). A test apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein: (a) the call control means is operable to indicate to the testing means that no call is in progress by clearing a switch path across a service switch of the exchange (35); and (b) the known test sequence is an idle pattern which is selected to be significantly different in format from a normal call traffic format. A test apparatus (40, 50) according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the known test sequence is derived from a G. 704 format of 32 time slots including a 4-bit cyclic redundancy CRC-4 check, the sequence including a time slot zero containing a frame alignment signal as well as a CRC-4 multiframe and CRC-4 check sums including patterns recognisable by the network (5). A test apparatus according to Claim 3 wherein the modified version of the sequence differs from the known test sequence in that the modified version includes a new frame alignment signal and a CRC-4 error multiframe and CRC-4 check sums. A test apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the known test sequence is based on a 2048 kbits/s frame format.

Inventors: CHOPPING GEOFFREY, CHOPPING, GEOFFREY
Applicants: MARCONI COMM LTD, MARCONI COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED
Application year: 1995
Main classification: H04M3
IPC codes: H04M3