Openreach and Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAV) say that the former is implementing the latter’s Fusion virtual performance monitoring system. Fusion is bringing automated testing of service quality and speed to Openreach's Full Fibre open broadband access network.
The Fusion capabilities are being enabled via smart SFP micro-probes, which Openreach can insert into the thousands of nodes it operates across the country. The probes enable automated throughput testing from all communications provider ingress points to end-user premises. The smart SFPs support gigabit and 10G line rates across several physical standards, the companies say, and will support access to an on-demand network “speedometer” that will enable near real-time views of the speeds that end-users can achieve.
In addition to speed testing, the Fusion platform will enable rapid isolation and troubleshooting of network faults, the companies say. Diagnostics will be automated for any issues raised by communications providers that use Openreach’s Full Fibre infrastructure. The platform also will automate contact center procedures to enable rapid pass/fail testing and interpretation to help pinpoint whether problems reside within the Openreach network or with the communications providers.
“As the country’s largest digital infrastructure provider, we recognize that service and broadband reliability has become more integral to everyday life, especially when millions of people switched to working and schooling from home. Last year, we saw our broadband usage more than double with 50,000 PB of data being consumed across the country,” commented Trevor Linney, network technology director at Openreach.
“We’re also seeing record numbers of people signing up to our ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband with over 1.5 million customers taking up the service to-date,” Linney continued. “It’s therefore crucial that we continue to meet our already strong service performance by identifying and preventing faults before customers report them. The deployment of VIAVI’s automated testing solution is one part of the overarching technical innovative solutions we’ve adapted to help determine potential issues we detect on our network in near real-time or when a request comes through from our CP customers.”
“Openreach plays such a foundational role in the UK’s digital economy that the improvements they make have a widespread, positive impact across the whole of the UK,” added Daniel Black, director, UK & Nordics at VIAVI. “The automation of testing across its network represents one such improvement. It will enable Openreach to be faster and more efficient with fault isolation, to the benefit of CPs [communications providers], businesses, and consumers. And they’ll be able to reduce the number of truck rolls and site visits they perform, as they’ll have access to better intelligence remotely.”
Openreach also is using VIAVI’s ONMSi for remote testing (see “Openreach opts for VIAVI for Full Fibre FTTH roll-out”).
For related articles, visit the Test and Measurement Topic Center.
For more information on field test instruments and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.