It was bound to happen - with all the hype surrounding Triple Play, someone was going to launch a Triple Play testing tool. Looks like Spirent was first; check it out:
SPIRENT COMMUNICATIONS ANNOUNCES SYSTEM FOR TRIPLE PLAY TESTING
Architecture For Converged Testing (ACT) Analyzes Interactions Between Voice, Video, and Data; Allows System Optimization Before an IP Network Goes Live
(October 18, 2004) — Spirent Communications (NYSE: SPM; LSE: SPT) today announces its Architecture for Converged Testing (ACT) for analyzing the effects of data on voice in a converged network. Awarded “Best of Show” at NetWorld + Interop 2004 last May, Spirent’s ACT is used by equipment vendors, service providers and enterprises to analyze the impact of real world data and video traffic on voice quality.
Spirent’s ACT solution is integrated with the Abacus 5000 IP Telephony Migration Test System. Prior to ACT, it has not been possible to obtain a direct correlation over time of the impact of web and video traffic on voice quality. Using ACT, service providers can speed their deployments, avoid the risk of failed roll outs and lost productivity, and ensure that they have selected the right infrastructure and design for the network before a triple play service is activated.
“The key technical issue is that by nature, data streams are very ‘bursty’, while voice is essentially a constant data rate connection. If a service provider simply tests its new voice network in the lab without taking into account the effects of data, the results could be disastrous,” said Zeus Kerravala, vice president of Enterprise Infrastructure, Yankee Group. “Measuring voice quality in the presence of data enables providers to examine their networks, and verify their equipment and infrastructure prior to exposing the new voice functionality to their data/video network.”
Service providers can also use ACT to fine tune their networks, ensuring optimal capacity, performance, interoperability and voice quality throughout the network. By testing the service before going live, engineers can be proactive instead of having to react to problems and issues as they are discovered.
“With ACT, engineers can test various potential scenarios that identify what happens to voice call establishment and voice quality when their network infrastructure is exposed to real world data traffic of varying levels,” said Bahaa Moukadam, vice president, IP Telephony, Spirent Communications. “For the first time, equipment vendors, service providers and enterprises are able to demystify the complex interdependencies of all traffic types eliminating the need for guess work or trial and error.”