Tollgrade Communications introduced a “Virtual Broadband Technician” (VBT) customer premise device for diagnosing slow broadband connections.
The device can be used to pinpoint problems like intermittent faults, noise on the line and unresolved line speed instability. The VBT is placed in line with the residential DSL modem. It then performs a series of 50 tests, and can diagnose the cause of the problem – whether it lies within the customer premises (e.g., electromagnetic interference in the home) or anywhere in the local access network.
Tollgrade said its data from VBT field deployments found that 82 percent of tested customer premises equipment (CPE) would have been returned unnecessarily had it not been for the diagnostic capability of the VBT. By correctly pinpointing problems inside the home that would otherwise have been left undiagnosed, the VBT reduced repeat dispatches by over 50 percent, saving millions and reducing customer churn.
