The Alcatel-Lucent
5530 Network Analyzer
Implementing Best-Practices
Access Loop Operations
The Alcatel-Lucent 5530 Network Analyzer (NA) is a comprehensive line testing and quality management solution that helps you ensure that DSL lines meet quality and stability requirements for the successful deployment of high-speed Internet and triple-play services. The Alcatel-Lucent 5530 NA supports operational best practices throughout the access line lifecycle, including provisioning, maintenance, troubleshooting and customer support. It helps you achieve appropriate service rollout decisions, streamlined service delivery, improved service quality, reduced service downtime and faster problem resolution — all contributing to OPEX reduction of up to 50 percent. In addition to allowing advanced integration into your customer care processes, the Alcatel-Lucent 5530 NA supports a POTS testing capability in order to provide a cost-effective testing solution as your broadband access network integrates POTS and evolves towards FTTN architectures.
2 Alcatel-Lucent 5530 Network Analyzer
Service Provider Challenges and Needs
With higher bit rates and triple-play services, the performance required from DSL lines is rising dramatically. Lines are being operated closer to their bit rate limit while real-time voice and video services are requiring greater line stability. As a result, you will need to put the right tools and processes
in place to prevent escalating OPEX, while keeping customers happy.
Support more quality sensitive services
DSL technology has enabled you to deliver triple-play services more cost effectively. Video and voice as well as new multimedia services tend to become more demanding in terms of bandwidth, latency and error rate, making them more sensitive to the line quality. Despite advances in DSL technology, DSL technology does have its limits. A DSL line capable of supporting High Speed Internet may be unable to support more quality-sensitive services such as IPTV or VoIP. Problems may arise from the poor condition of the loop itself (e.g., contact problems, crosstalk, interference, etc.) or from service demands that exceed the loop’s capability.
Figure 1. More real-time and quality-sensitive services
Recommended line speed
20 Mb/s
5 Mb/s
1 Mb/s
Real time and quality sensitive
Best effort
HDTV
SDTV
Music download
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Videophones |
File sharing |
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Online gaming |
VoIP |
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Surfing e-mail |
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Sporadic |
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Real time |
asynchronous |
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latency sensitive |
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Traffic characteristics |
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Alcatel-Lucent 5530 Network Analyzer 3
Streamline operations and control OPEX
The access network, with its many ramifications and connections, is a natural place for problems to arise. With DSL, you will need to master a new set of challenges in order to avoid escalating costs. The problem, however, is that traditional testing systems can’t provide you with the visibility required for DSL line quality. To streamline operations, while maintaining control of your operational costs, you need to implement operational best practices. This must encompass the whole service life-cy- cle, including: service planning and network readiness, service provisioning, maintenance, troubleshooting and customer support.
Provide better customer support
Providing better customer support is paramount for customer satisfaction and retention. The quality perceived by your customers is linked to the service quality and degree of support they get from your organization. That’s why, ever since the early stages of DSL, you have tried to bring greater visibility of the DSL line quality to your customer support team. You want to take the right decisions and actions from the very start, enabling faster and more appropriate problem resolution.
Line testing strategies in the evolving access network
The obsolescence of telephone switches and the on-going demand for higher bandwidth is also driving the transformation of your access network. This often entails the deployment of smaller remote access nodes, which allow you to reach customers with shorter loops. Broadband access infrastructures are also evolving to support telephony services by means of various POTS or VoIP deployment options. As the telephony switches gradually disappear, and you begin to deploy smaller FTTN nodes, you will need to put in place a new line testing strategy that adapts to your evolving network architecture.
4 Alcatel-Lucent 5530 Network Analyzer
Supporting access operational best practices
The Alcatel-Lucent 5530 NA is a comprehensive line testing solution helping ensure that DSL loops meet quality and stability requirements for the successful deployment of high speed Internet and triple play services. With the Alcatel-Lucent 5530 NA, you can streamline service delivery, improve service quality, reduce service downtime and resolve problems faster.
Streamlining operations end-to-end
The Alcatel-Lucent 5530 NA supports the full life-cycle of your DSL line. This includes network-wide line quality assessment, accurate line pre-qualification, in-service line validation, pro-active problem detection and advanced troubleshooting. Whatever your service mix and organization, the AlcatelLucent 5530 NA will provide you with the right support to implement DSL operational best practices.
Figure 2. End-to-end operational best practices
Planning |
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Service |
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and readiness |
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fulfillment |
maintenance |
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assurance |
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Networkwide line |
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Proactive line |
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Line problem |
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quality assessment |
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quality monitoring |
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diagnosis and location |
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Line |
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Dynamic line |
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Narrowband |
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pre-qualification |
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management |
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line testing* |
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* POTS testing is on-demand only. Supported by POLT-A and NPOT-A line cards available |
Customer care |
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in ETSI. ITSC line card for POTS support in the ANSI region is not supported in 5530 NA. |
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Alcatel-Lucent 5530 Network Analyzer 5