Spirent Communications' mAX SLAM Addresses Triple-Play DSLAM Testing For ISDN

Business Wire, Sept 21, 2004

VENICE, Italy -- AX/4000 Now Configured with mAX IP and mAX SLAM To Deliver First-To-Market ISDN or POTS over ADSL2 Solution for Scalable Testing of Triple-Play DSLAMs

Spirent Communications(TM) (NYSE:SPM; LSE:SPT) today announced that it has developed the world's first high port density ADSL2 platform for testing performance and quality of service (QoS) of new generation Triple-Play enabled DSLAMs under realistic loads in either ISDN or POTS over ADSL2 .

Today's DSL service providers need to extend their service offering beyond basic high speed Internet services by offering packages targeting the 'Triple-Play' of voice, video and Internet. To address this requirement, many of the leading Network Equipment Manufacturers (NEMs) are developing new DSLAMs that combine the new generation of ADSL/ADSL2/ADSL2 chipsets, which enable higher DSL data rates, with the ability to support the QoS and protocol requirements of Triple-Play services.

The additional functionality and intelligence demanded by Triple-Play services, combined with increased DSL port density and sustained high throughput, requires new testing techniques. Recognizing its customers' testing requirements, Spirent has developed two high port density ADSL/2/2 mAX SLAM interface cards for its market-leading AX/4000 traffic generator and analyzer. The mAX SLAM modules are now available in the European market with either ADSL2 over ISDN or ADSL2 over POTS interfaces. With 12 ports taking the space of a single modem, and systems scaling from 24 to over 12000 ADSL/2/2 ports, mAX SLAM reduces lab space requirements and simplifies test system management.

"The European DSL Service Providers and Network Equipment Manufactures have demonstrated leadership in offering Triple-Play services over DSL. However, many issues like integration of quality of service to support voice and video are still being resolved," said Steve Courtney, vice president of marketing for Spirent Communications Access Emulation unit. "Our first-to-market test solution is intended to boost the confidence of DSLAM vendors and service providers by providing realistic high density Triple-Play testing of QoS. This mitigates the technical risks associated with the transition of DSL Triple-Play services to converged networks, replacing large racks of CPE and wiring, and providing a new standard of testing for Next Generation DSLAMs."

Currently, DSLAM performance is tested using a traffic generator/analyzer emulating a single stream of IP traffic through a real modem. While this is acceptable for DSLAMs only supporting Internet traffic where packet loss, latency and jitter issues go largely undetected by the end-user, it presents many problems for Triple-Play enabled DSLAMs. Voice and video traffic is very sensitive to packet loss, latency and jitter, and it is important to verify the DSLAMs management of QoS to ensure voice, video and data traffic are prioritized correctly. In addition, when testing using real modems, results are obscured by inclusion of the modem performance in overall results.

Spirent's mAX IP G/A and mAX SLAM interfaces for the AX/4000 can generate and analyze multiple streams of Layer 3 control and data plane traffic, revealing interactions between traffic of different QoS levels. Additionally, the test platform provides new functionality and granularity to test analysis by introducing support for protocols such as IP multicasting for video delivery and isolation of performance analysis to the DSLAM without including performance of modems bundled in test results.

Leading NEMs and Service Providers use Spirent's mAX SLAM solution to test the performance and QoS of the new generations of higher bandwidth, intelligent DSLAMs. The addition of the high port density ADSL2 platform allows them to assess packet loss and service interactions between voice, video and data in the lab, before deploying in the live network, mitigating service disruption and lost productivity. In addition, pre-deployment testing and verification of multi-service networks allows customers to ensure optimal scalability without added cost, maximize performance with inherent reliability, and guarantee interoperability with proven voice quality. This allows for bundling of services, which increases customer subscription rates for DSL and with added services, per user revenues.

Spirent's AX/4000 mAX IP and mAX SLAM Triple-Play DSLAM Test Solution is available now. The product features include:

--ISDN or POTS over ADSL2 modem simulation

--Layer 3 control and data plane traffic generation and analysis for testing triple play applications

--User port grouping for quick provisioning of ports with like traffic profiles

--High port density (168 ADSL2 ports in a 7U chassis)

--High scalability (24-12000 ports controlled by a single GUI)

--Graphical reporting

--Scripting for automation of recurring tests

About Spirent Communications

Spirent Communications (www.spirentcom.com) is a global provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems that enable the development and deployment of next-generation networking technology such as Internet telephony, broadband services, 3G wireless, global navigation satellite systems, and network security equipment. Spirent's solutions are used by more than 1,500 customers in 30 countries, including the world's largest equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprises and governments. Based in Rockville, Maryland, Spirent Communications reported 2003 revenue of $394 million and has 1,800 employees worldwide. The company is the largest business group of Spirent plc, traded on the London and New York Stock Exchanges (LSE:SPT; NYSE:SPM; CUSIP number: 84856M209). www.spirent.com. Spirent Communications' sales to the United States government are made through Spirent Federal Systems. www.spirentfederal.com.