Communications Technology - Communications Executive

ALEX GOLOSCHOKIN SPONSOR

Alex Goloschokin
JDSU

Alex Goloschokin is the director of international strategic marketing with the JDSU Communications Test segment.

What was involved in adding a video module to the Path Trak platform? There is a global shift toward advanced digital and interactive video services being provided by cable operators. For example, at the United Pan Communications technical summit, UPC announced that their video strategy is to be two steps ahead of the market by releasing advanced services like catch-up TV, channel on demand and VOD. Operators around the world are following suit. Because of this, there is more equipment being installed in the unmanned, edge QAM locations where issues with video on demand, pay per view, and ad insertions, for example, can have a direct impact on advanced services quality. There is a growing need to control that quality, not only on RF, but on the MPEG side as well. So without a tool like the Path Trak Video Monitoring system, it could take an operator hours to realize an issue exists, dispatch a technician, troubleshoot and then resolve that problem. PVM can remotely look at the carrier signal down to the MPEG stream and isolate the problem so that an operator is notified of issues before a customer ever calls to complain.

proactive network management is the key. Preventive maintenance is a paradigm shift for operators from taking a reactive approach to problem-solving, to now taking a proactive approach and identifying issues before there is an outage. In the past, operators relied on their subscribers to alert them about network issues. In the triple-play environment, this is not an option. If there is an outage, it’s too late, and the data or voice service is already not working properly. A shift to proactive preventive maintenance, where operators are adjusting and tuning the networks before a minor network issue becomes a problem, needs to be based on intelligent, updated information collected from the field. Sophisticated upstream and downstream monitoring systems are really the only viable way to quickly and effectively alert operators to issues on the network.

In what ways are you accommodating the shift toward DOCSIS 3.0? The two major product families we have for cable, monitoring and field instruments, are being developed to be DOCSIS 3.0 compliant. On the monitoring side, we have the new RPM3000 card, which scans from 0.5 MHz to 85 MHz, which is compliant with DOCSIS 3.0 specs. Also, the RPM3000 card adds upstream QAM demodulation for troubleshooting live upstream channels. Further developments to monitor 16- and 64-QAM upstream parameters are planned for the near future. On our field instrument side, the current JDSU DOCSIS 2.0 instruments are fully capable of measuring the parameters of each individual downstream DOCSIS channel. For DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding, we are actively pursuing development for a fully compatible generation of meters that will allow the testing of upstream and downstream DOCSIS 3.0 channels.

What pain points do you see impacting service and
line technicians?

Line technicians need to become more prudent in their approach to maintenance. RF physical impairments that slipped by before like misaligned amps, wrong tap values and loose connectors can now cause big issues. On the service side, home wiring itself becomes a network component of paramount significance. The vast majority of installed cable is in existing homes, and no matter what new services are introduced, they need to be delivered through this existing home wiring. How advanced services perform— triple play, whole house DVR, MOCA, HPNA—will greatly depend on the quality of the in-house wiring. Mapping the wiring without taking the walls apart is another issue that applies to both single-family dwelling units and MDUs, since any one building could actually be a network on its own.

Is preventive maintenance largely a matter of
managing the basics?
It is about the basics, but systematic, intelligent,

How is the industry trending in the use of optical T&M equipment, from long-haul and metro to access plant? Again, it is all about proactive monitoring. The management of fiber-optic networks with fewer technicians through fiber remote testing and utilizing accurate fiber plant documentation is critical to keeping costs down. A good monitoring system can accurately detect and pinpoint fiber degradation, then alert operators with the details of the fault. Also, the use of valuable trending reports over a period of time can allow operators to assess long-term fiber performance to form a plan for efficient asset management.