March 3, 2008 -- Anritsu A/S, a subsidiary of Anritsu Corp., has added Voice over IP (VoIP) test options for its CMA 3000 field tester, which the company notes has the ability to test, maintain and optimize existing networks while they are in operation. The tester is designed for field technicians who install and maintain mobile- and fixed-access networks and transmission/switching networks.
For VoIP testing, the CMA 3000 initiates calls and answers incoming calls. By connecting an analog phone to the CMA 3000, users can conduct a conversation with the called/calling party. Statistics collected during the call will inform the technician on the performance of the communication line. With this data and appropriate option, the CMA 3000 can present voice quality information in terms of Mean Opinion Score (MOS) and R-factor values.
The VoIP options for the CMA 3000 work with appropriate Ethernet test interface options. When outfitted with the Ethernet interface measurement option, the CMA 3000 can test and measure LAN lines, in addition to the 2 Mbit/sec transmission testing provided by the base CMA 3000 instrument. A dual port module is available for testing Ethernet 10/100 Mbit/sec interfaces, and a dual-port 10/100/1000 test module has electrical and optional optical interface ports.
To make a realistic test case, the CMA 3000 can generate/receive up to 8 calls simultaneously. These calls can be made on one or both test ports in the Ethernet option. If the tester is also equipped with the Ethernet Multistream option, each of the 8 calls can be assigned to a stream, allowing individual configuration of call priority.
Owing to its VoIP call emulation capability, the CMA 3000 allows users to quickly verify the connectivity through the network, says Anritsu. A voice quality measurement option enables easy acquisition of connection quality information, as it will be perceived by VoIP users.
A CMA 3000 equipped with VoIP and Ethernet options gives field technicians a single instrument for testing the emerging VoIP services and basic Ethernet transport systems. By installing other options, legacy technologies, such as SDH, ATM and E1/E3, can also be tested.
"The wide deployment of VoIP makes it essential for field technicians to have a tool that can test VoIP connections. When testing VoIP, connectivity must be checked first. Once this is done, verification of the quality is essential," comments Ole Soerensen, product manager at Anritsu A/S. "Therefore, it is important for field technicians installing and maintaining these types of connections to have a universal tool such as the CMA 3000 to test VoIP together with all the other technologies they have to maintain."