xDSL loop qualification and testing

Due to increased pressure from alternatives, the pace of xDSL deployment must accelerate. This acceleration places increased emphasis on copper loop prequalification, which determines the suitability of a given loop for some class of xDSL service, and turn-up verification, which verifies that the customer is receiving the service tariffed or contracted. Although the physical characteristics and electrical impairments on copper loops are well understood, the variety of possible xDSL service types, both symmetrical and asymmetrical, current and anticipated, has complicated the deployment process. In the past, xDSL loop qualification and testing have been mostly ad hoc and labor-intensive activities. But a whole array of tools and test equipment have come along to make xDSL prequalification and turn-up verification less of an adventure and more of a key aspect of a for-profit business venture. Initial techniques can still be time-consuming and the new equipment expensive, but the new methods hold a lot of promise for the future of xDSL loop qualification and testing