The new products are more of software driven and then hardware driven, and any upgrade in terms of technology is done with software upgradation.

Proactive Vs Reactive
In India, customers are not demanding in nature neither there are strict quality guidelines from TRAI (telecom regulatory authority of India), so service providers are more reactive in their approach rather than being proactive. For QoS to improve, TRAI should impose penalty for those operators who are not adhering to TRAI defined benchmark as it helps in reducing complaints and making the customers happy. As the consumers/users become more assertive and demanding, and start complaining more frequently than what they do now, operators will focus more on QoS.

Unlike service providers, T&M players need to be more proactive rather than being reactive. It would be any company's dream to be able to release a product without testing it! But in the real world there is still a long way to go before we get to this stage, if at all we do. The only way in which a balance can be struck, is to move the product testing and validation to very early in the product life cycle, starting from design and prototyping.

Modular I/O integrated into each phase ensures better code reuse and certainty of functionality at each step.

Satisfaction Scores: Overall
Tata Indicom had the highest number of satisfied customers in the area of sales/pre sales followed closely by Airtel and Aircel. Network performance was most satisfactory for Spice users, which left behind bigwigs such as Hutch and Airtel. In the Value Added Services segment Tata Indicom again topped the charts but had a neck to neck with MTNL though is lower in terms of VAS but its higher satisfaction among the users. Shows that they don't have a very high expectations from the operator who was the leader in the GSM segment. In customer care Hutch is #1 whereas in billing it is BPL
Source: VOICE&DATA Mobile Users' Satisfaction Survey 2006	Sample Base: 4,524

Service providers have to use an integrated solution of drive test, signaling protocol test, and others more regularly. Even entry of new players like Vodafone will help change the scenario if it focuses on quality of service as its main USP.

Hiring Vs Outright Purchase
It is going to be a mix of both hiring as well as outright purchase depending on vertical wise usage. Hiring has started recently, and it is presently around 4-5% of total sales as there are not too many global companies offering hiring. Even export–import policy does not prefer hiring. R&D labs and manufacturing by and large opt for outright purchase, as the focus is on cutting edge technology. It makes more sense, as these days more products can be upgraded through software or firmware. This further helps in deciding for outright purchase. For service provider it is a mix of both, as their requirements differ from installation to maintenance phase. Service providers opt for hiring, especially in case of mature technology deployment.

It can be purchased any day provided one is investing in the right set of tools that can cater to current as well as future needs. T&M needs to be a critical but well thought out capital investment. But buying is okay for majority of customers as short-term rents are not available.

Technology Upgrade
Drive test and signaling test solution as a combination offer unique insight to network manager. For WiMax, again, T&M players have an extensive solution for R&D as well as fixed and mobile WiMax CPE manufacturing test. Some companies have come out with one box tester whereas others have one box tester, and so there is a combination of signaling test analyzer with vector signal analysis software and signal sources.

With rapid growth of innovations, today the use of RF and wireless technologies span multiple industries, from communications to food processing. Hence, there is an increase in the number of standards and protocols in the market. This in turn makes it necessary for devices to implement multiple standards to compete in the market and provide seamless operation for the user. Also, the latest electronic designs are characterized by their converging functionality. The increase in functionality leads to an increase in design complexity and increased development costs.

Majority of T&M vendors, provide a layer of hardware, which is pre-standard, but its software can be adjusted to move with the speed of protocols. So, companies can quickly change the test set up by just modifying the software.

Pravin Prashant
parvinp@cybermedia.co.in