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The quality of service for POTS lines is changing with the lnternet!

Millions of analogue telephone lines are installed around the world and work reliable for their dedicated service: voice transmission. The reason why the majority of private Internet users are using analogue lines is the availability and the price. Though most of the already installed lines work sufficiently for voice, problems may come up with expected 56kbit/s transmission speed. Since V.90 is defined as the actual Internet modem standard, 56k (max. payload speed: 53k) transmission speed is expected. Phase and amplitude modulation are specially affected by phase hits and impulsive noise. These two transmission problems do not influence voice transmission unless they are enormous. But complaints and the request for quality of service start after the first contact with the Internet.

Reasons for a slow transmission speed over analogue V.90 connections and the way to find the problem.
1. Bottlenecks at the Internet providers access point. - Typically the transmission speed decreases during busy hours. This can be proved easily by comparing the transmission speed during different times or weekdays. 2. The local access copper line causes the problem. The reason can be one or several of the following points. a) Corrosion and aged connectors, means a higher attenuation and therefore a lower signal level. b) Nearby disturbance sources like railways, power lines, elevators, traffic produce white band and impulsive noise to the access line. c) Signals on cables in the same cable bundle can impact the signal seriously. Additional damaged insulation or split pairs may reduce the line quality. d) Defect telephones connected in parallel to the modem at the customers side will cause wrong line impedance, additional noise and as a result a reduced signal level. 3. Defect line cards are often the reason for impulsive noise and phase hits. These two problems may not be noticed as long as the telephone line is used for voice telephony only. The reduced transmission speed of a 56k modem will prove the opposite. A defect line card can cause several other lines faults. 4. The network itself, especially if packet switched networks are used for Internet telephony, can produce serious impacts to the voice quality. To detect unacceptable variations of the signal delay, a round trip delay measurement is the only way to check the quality of service for Internet telephony. Additionally the already mentioned phase hits and impulsive noise can be produced by network elements connected to the digital side of the line card.

Requirements for a quality of service tester:


Complete test of all critical parameters combined with a minimum of test time. Automatic end to end test. Pass/Fail comparison against limits Detailed result analysis Easy to use Field proved Battery powered The name must be ASA-200

178884585.doc

09/10/13

Trouble shooting at analogue telephone lines


A.
1.

The lnternet user has a speed problem


Is the transmission speed decreased during dedicated busy hours only and do you get more than 50kbit/s during other times or weekdays? YES Ask your lnternet provider for improvement and enjoy your 56k connection NO Go to questions 2 and 3 first Ask your lnternet provider if they are offering a 56k connection to you? Or are they using slower modems only? Have you checked your modem for correct settings? YES Check your own house installation with questions 4 and 5 Do you have more than one wall socket for one telephone line? YES Unplug all connected equipment except the modem Do you get a faster transmission speed? YES Check the unplugged equipment NO Ask an electrician to disconnect the telephone wire at the first wall socket of other Installations, then plug the modem to the first wall socket. Do you get a faster transmission speed? YES Check and repair youre in house installation NO Ask your telephone company to check the line

Questions to the complaining V.90 Internet user:

2. 3. 4. 5.

6.

B.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Telco technician gets a call out to the customer


One ASA-200 connected as an exchange unit to a known, good analogue telephone line. One ASA-200 in his tool kit to perform all necessary line tests. Experience to bring the test results and the problem together Or The follow the questionnaire as attached in a tabular form 10 ~ 30 minutes

What does he need to identify the problem?

Explanation: Line cards of different vendors or national differences may show different typical values for the single tests. It will help to identify problems of the line or network if the typical values of known good lines* have been measured before. This may also influence the limits for pass/fail results. Please type these typical values in the field "typical values of a known good line" on the following table. After (or during) the automatic measurement with the ASA-200 answer the questions in the table with YES or NO. Only one answer is possible per line. "YES, means no fault. "NO" in the white fields of a row indicates a high probability of a problem of the appropriate network elements (cabling, line card, switch, etc). Grey fields indicate a low probability and black fields are not relevant for the appropriate test. The results of the "NO" fields will indicate the most likely faulty network element.

178884585.doc

09/10/13

Questions to the telecom service technician working with WWG ASA-200


Typical measurements affecting mainly modem transmission Typical values of known good lines* Cabling Line card Switch, Mux, Network

Is the DC voltage between 15 and 70V DC? Do you get phase hits of more than 2o? Is impulsive noise present on the line? Typical measurements affecting mainly voice quality but can affect also modem transmission Is the balance about earth better than 35dB? Is the wide band noise lower than 40dbm? Is the attenuation referred to 1kHz lower than e.g. 4dB or e.g. according to ITU-T M. 1040? Is the impedance between 400 and 1400K? Is the return loss at 1kHz less than 14dB? Is the round trip delay less than 25msec? Typical values of known good lines* Cabling Line card Switch, Mux, Network

Additional measurements in case of signalling or connection problems

Typical values of known good lines*

Cabling

Line card

Switch, Mux,

Network

Is the line seizing current correct? (e.g. 3 25mA) Is the line release current correct? (e.g. 1 25mA) Is the ringing voltage between 30 and 75 Vrms? Is the dial tone present and >25dBm? Is the DTMF dialling OK? Is the loop disconnecting dialling OK?

178884585.doc

09/10/13

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