Changing support requirements for the wireless end user.(Internet)

The rapid expansion in wireless services has extended the reach of these services beyond what was originally projected. Now, with the recent ruling allowing wire line users to move their wire line numbers to wireless service, providers have the need for controlling service as never before. Service providers, together with their equipment vendors, face a significant challenge to ensure a high level of voice services, as had been the case when wire line services were all that was available to the typical end user.

The service requirements remain the same; ensure the same high level of service for voice quality that the subscriber has always enjoyed. It should be recognized that "voice quality" refers to a rather subjective measurement referring to the sound quality in a telephone conversation. Because the telephone network was built primarily for voice applications, the emphasis has always been on the transmission of real time voice signals across the network. However, in recent time, we have seen the convergence of voice and data over the public network has changed forever the way in which quality of voice traffic is controlled.

In order to capture and maintain market share, service providers and their equipment providers must now take additional steps to ensure that while they can support and integrated network they will be able to support the high level of voice traffic the end user has continued to expect. End users--particularly the business end users--expect nothing less. This, in turn, has forced service providers and their supporting vendors to continue their ongoing search for effective tools, which enable them to evaluate the voice quality of their networks.

That Which Affects Voice Quality

The PSTN network is engineered to accommodate the human voice, and the user's perception of the quality of a telephone conversation depends upon the real-time transmission of the voice signals. The PSTN channels are…