 e-mail: doug.burrus@telecom.co.nz TELECOM ACCESS STANDARDS NEWSLETTER NO. 106 CONTENTS YEAR 2000 - IS YOUR EQUIPMENT AFFECTED?STUTTER DIAL TONE AND FSK VMWI TELEPERMIT REQUIREMENTS PHS AND DECT SYSTEM TELEPERMITTING CODING OF THE CALLED PARTY NUMBER IN ISDN PRIMARY RATE CHANGES TO THE COPYRIGHT ACT SMALL OFFICE/HOME OFFICE ("SOHO") CABLING SYSTEMS PRODUCTS "BEHIND" TELEPERMITTED NETWORK INTERFACES NEWSLETTER RENEWALS TEST LABORATORY ADDITIONS AND CHANGES return to index YEAR 2000 - IS YOUR EQUIPMENT AFFECTED? In Newsletter No. 98, I raised the issue of whether all types of CPE are compliant with Year 2000 requirements. Since then, there has been increasing publicity about the potential problems for computer programmes, but little has been written about telecommunications equipment. Where the year is stored in two-digit format, any software incorporating calendar data may go astray when we reach the year 2000. This will cause confusion at the very least. Most people are now aware that the "00" of "2000" may end up being recognised as "1900". An added complication is that 1900 was not a leap year. There are further critical dates in some software, such as "9.9.99" which are not quite so well publicised. While such "other" dates are not expected to apply to CPE, we simply do not know. Potential non-compliance aspects need to be addressed thoroughly and time is now getting short. Telecom is spending millions of dollars to upgrade its own systems, so telecommunications products are certainly not exempt from the problem. With nearly 4500 different types of CPE connected to the Telecom network, at least some are bound to have problems. Any systems that incorporate calendars or date displays are suspect until proved satisfactory or certified compliant by their manufacturers. Examples are PABX least cost routing facilities based on real time calendars that determine weekends and holidays. Any situation that results in incorrect routing and subsequent billing disputes are of particular concern. The computer industry has concluded that there is a need for a vast amount of reprogramming work, all of which has to be done before 1 January 2000 - now less than 2 years away! Building control and security systems were recently mentioned in the news media as a potential risk. Computer and microprocessor-based control systems in telecommunications equipment certainly must NOT be overlooked. In view of this, ALL CPE suppliers are asked to check out ALL of their products, PAST and PRESENT, to ensure that these products are Y2K compliant. In addition, it would now seem prudent to require Telepermit applicants for all new products to provide a compliance statement to the effect that each product is "Y2K compliant", "NOT Y2K compliant" or "Y2K compliance not applicable". We are also considering the possibility of collating compliance certifications by CPE suppliers and publishing this information on the Internet as a resource for our customers. This would obviously require the co-operation of the majority of CPE suppliers, of which there are now several hundred. I would be interested to learn whether these concepts have any support from the industry. From Telecom's viewpoint, the aim is to ensure that our customers are not going to experience trouble on 1 January 2000. We can only achieve this with the support of CPE suppliers. STUTTER DIAL TONE AND FSK VMWI TELEPERMIT REQUIREMENTS I should mention that what I refer to as "Stutter Dial Tone" in this and previous articles on this subject is formally defined in clause 7.1 of TNA 102 as "Dial Tone with Message Waiting". Telecom is currently running a very limited trial of Stutter Dial Tone Detectors to assess the provisional requirements published in Newsletter No. 105. These detectors provide for automatic changeover to FSK operation when FSK signals are being received. However, I did not make it completely clear that Stutter Dial Tone detection is to be disabled once an FSK signal has been received on the connected line. SDTD disabling is to be permanent until such time as the device is removed from that line and any internal batteries or local power supply disconnected. This arrangement avoids any risk of a timing clash, whereby the SDTD function could cause an off-hook if an FSK signal has not been received prior to a time-out. As explained in Newsletter No. 105, SDTD is not an exact system because of variations in received message durations and time to connect by the network. Should both SDTD and FSK functions remain enabled, the device would go off-hook unnecessarily when connected to FSK-enabled lines. Another issue is the question of SDTD time-outs after an initiating event. The shorter the time-out, the more prompt the device appears to be to the user. However, the risk of missing a signal increases, so there is a need for compromise. It has been suggested that the time-out after an unanswered ring should be at least 3 minutes (a 4 - 5 minute delay was recommended, but not made mandatory). As mentioned, there may be further revisions of the recommended time-outs as a result of this trial and comments from suppliers. In the meantime, further comments are welcomed from the suppliers of CPE with these facilities, so that we can firm up on the conditions published in the Newsletter and publish these in an amendment to PTC 200. PHS AND DECT SYSTEM TELEPERMITTING PHS ("Personal Handyphone System") and DECT ("Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephone") radio systems are currently subject to certain geographic restrictions by the Ministry of Commerce, as announced in Newsletter No. 104. Assuming these geographic restrictions are complied with, the Telepermitting requirements are essentially the same as for their equivalent classes of PSTN CPE. That is, where PHS or DECT is used as a cordless PABX system and the radio part has some sort of proprietary interface with the PABX, the requirements of PTC 107, 108 and 109 apply. These specifications cover transmission, signalling, etc. As such, the Telepermit requirements at the PSTN interface apply to the combined system of PABX and telephone handset. Where the radio equipment connects as an extension with a standard analogue PSTN interface to the PABX, PTC 200 applies to the combined unit, as for a conventional analogue cordless phone. The same applies for "home" cordless use with a base unit and one or more telephone handsets. The handset and base unit are regarded as a combined unit. At this stage, wireless local loop applications are restricted to PHS only and the technical parameters will be defined as part of the network, rather than as CPE. Note that neither of these radio systems is currently permitted by the Ministry of Commerce for public access applications. CODING OF THE CALLED PARTY NUMBER IN ISDN PRIMARY RATE In Newsletter No. 101 an amendment to TNA134 was announced. This involved a change to the coding of the Called party number information element that is sent from the network to the called user. The Numbering Plan Identification field of the Called party number information element is being changed from "E.164" to "unknown". The coding of the other fields, including the digits remains unchanged. This change has been made with enhancements to the VPN service on primary rate lines. However the change will affect all primary rate lines. While the change to this one field is minor and not expected to affect service, it is possible that some CPE may check the Numbering Plan Identification field and possibly reject the call. Vendors are advised to ensure that their equipment is set up so that this change will not cause them, or their customers, any problems. Testing can be provided to verify correct operation of CPE. The recent budget announcements resulted in the Copyright (Removal of Prohibition on Parallel Importing) Amendment Bill being passed through the house in mid-May. This provides relaxations of the Copyright Act to allow "parallel importing" of genuine (non-pirated) brand products. Imported goods can thus be sold here without the consent of the overseas manufacturer or the official New Zealand distributor. However, there are significantly increased penalties for "pirated" products. These changes do not impact on the need for parallel importers to obtain Telepermits for their products. Where products have been manufactured for overseas markets, there is no assurance that those products will comply with Telecom Telepermit specifications. Should the overseas manufacturer not consent to the use of its test reports and other intellectual property that would normally be used as part of the documentation submitted with a Telepermit application, the parallel importer will be required to have full compliance testing carried out. This will highlight any modifications that are necessary. The parallel importer will then have to undertake to ensure that these modifications have been correctly carried out on all such product imported by that party and supplied for connection to the Telecom network. SMALL OFFICE/HOME OFFICE ("SOHO") CABLING SYSTEMS With the growing trend towards telecommuting (working from home), the integration of computers and telecommunications, and the use of a much wider range of CPE and service features, many customers are looking for what is close to a full commercial cabling system in their homes. This trend has been recognised by a number of cabling suppliers and products are now becoming available. Nevertheless, SOHO will be "overkill" for most Telecom residential customers, as it is expected that they will be able to make use of standard 2-wiring, even for high speed data services like ADSL. We are currently working on recommended methods or re-arranging existing wiring for this service and more will be published in a future Newsletter. SOHO cabling systems are focused around AS/NZS 3086, the national standard. They incorporate Category 5 cable, "star-wired" back to a central cross-connection point, with outlets in virtually every room. In effect, the system is simply a small "non-backbone" version of the generic commercial cabling systems defined in AS/NZS 3080. The standard SOHO installation provides for up to four exchange lines, but this can be varied to suit the customer's requirements. In accordance with Telecom's recently published "Standard Terms for Residential Customers", such systems and their components will need to be Telepermitted for connection to Telecom's network. The Telepermit then provides guidance for our residential customers as to what they may connect. Telepermit is not necessary for business customers, who will usually have the necessary commercial knowledge to make sure they purchase systems appropriate to their requirements. The "Draft for Public Comment" of PTC 225 is now available at a cost of $30, inclusive of GST and postage. As usual, purchasers of the draft will be sent a copy of the final version at no additional charge. PRODUCTS "BEHIND" TELEPERMITTED NETWORK INTERFACES It is apparent from comments received that some suppliers still think there are no Telepermit requirements for products connected 'behind' another Telepermitted product, such as a PABX or digital NTU. I must stress that ALL devices which determine or influence the level and frequency of signals which pass into the Telecom network DO REQUIRE TELEPERMITTING. This applies whether the device is connected directly or indirectly to the network. Similarly, most devices, which receive signals and impact on the service perceived by the other party to a call, are subject to Telepermit. If in doubt, ask. The types of equipment, indirectly connected to the line and affected by this requirement, include bandwidth management equipment, frame relay devices, routers, etc. Any equipment that is part of a private network connected at any point to the Telecom network also falls into this category. Our aim is to ensure, as far as possible, that perceived quality of service provided by the Telecom network is not reduced by unsuitable CPE. Readers are reminded that a Renewal Form was attached to the last Newsletter. We are happy to continue distributing the Newsletter to all interested parties at no charge, but do not wish to have copies returned "Unknown at this Address". If you have NOT returned your renewal form, this might be the last newsletter you receive for a while! TEST LABORATORY ADDITIONS AND CHANGES Certelecom Laboratories Inc has advised that, from 1 June 1998, it has changed its name to "KTL Ottawa Inc". The address details remain the same as published in the Telepermit Overview. These are as follows:-
Comtest Laboratories Pty Ltd have asked that we advise of their interest in undertaking TNA 117 (products with an E1 digital interface) and ISDN Layers 1 & 2 testing for Telepermit purposes. Their contact details are:-
Telecom's Wellington Telepermit test laboratories for radio and ISDN Layer 3 testing is being progressively re-located into the Central Telephone Exchange building. These facilities, along with our Telepermit test laboratories in Auckland, are all now under the management of our Operations Division. Pending completion of the shift, those Wellington-based suppliers requiring ISDN testing are advised to contact Paul Aitken by telephone on +64 4 802 6641, or by fax on +64 4 802 6693. Suppliers requiring cellular, paging or mobile radio testing should contact Simon Cooke-Willis by telephone on +64 4 802 9835, or by fax on +64 4 384 4009. They will be able to advise the most suitable locations for equipment delivery. For particularly large items, such as PABX systems, Paul may be able to undertake site visits and take the tester to the equipment. Any such requests should be addressed directly to Paul. I will publish new contact details at the completion of the shift. DOUG BURRUS Manager, Access Standards |