Fault handling

Written on 4:16 PM by ooe

Accurate and timely handling of customer's reported faults is fundamental to achieving customer satisfaction. LLU services rely on a combination of network elements including the metallic path provided by the network owner, additional components supplied by the LLU operator and perhaps some components supplied by the end-user. When the end-user experiences degraded service, it may be unclear which component is the cause.

In the UK, the OPF group developed processes to reduce the scope for multiple handing of the fault report and to support efficient and timely resolution of the fault report. In full unbundling the LLU operator is responsible for receiving fault reports from the end-user and should pass them to BT only if the LLU operator has reason to believe that a fault exists on the BT network. The situation is more complex where line sharing is used as both BT and the LLU operators are providing services to the enduser using the same metallic path. The end-user should report service degradation to the appropriate service provider in the first instance. Maintenance and repair activity on one service is likely to disrupt the other service so close co-operation between BT and LLU operator may be required. BT already has systems and processes to deal with problems affecting the narrowband (telephony) service due to network faults. These processes have been adapted to enable repair engineers to return the unbundled loop to specification based upon electrical performance. Once a repair is complete the unbundled loop is returned to the LLU operator with a report of the relevant electrical characteristics as proof of repair. Furthermore the LLU operator can purchase further test products to enable it to obtain additional information about a metallic pair. The LLU operator is, of course, solely responsible for dealing with faults caused by that operator's equipment or in the operation/configuration of the broadband service by the end-user.