Providing buyer feedback on digital switch field performance

Argues that buyers of digital switching equipment can and should play a more active role in providing feedback on deployed equipment´s field performance. Such feedback is even more important for making continuous reliability gains in the divested environment and as new technologies and functionality are rapidly deployed. To understand what role a buyer might play, the authors review various factors leading to field performance problems and their short- and long-term consequences. A reliability review forum process for providing timely and accurate performance feedback is then described. This type of process has been successful in assuring both rapid corrective actions and long-term reliability gains