Protocols and networks test specifications; frameworks and methodologies
(Questions 9/11, 10/11 and 11/11 were merged into new Question 16/11 on 18 January 2021, following endorsement by TSAG)MotivationITU-T Resolution 76 – Studies related to conformance and interoperability testing, assistance to developing countries, and a possible future ITU Mark programme – resolves that ITU-T Study Group 11 coordinates the sector’s activities related to the ITU Conformance and Interoperability (C&I) programme across all study groups and reviews the recommendations in the C&I business plan for the long term implementation of the C&I programme.
ITU T is producing a large number of Recommendations. To achieve interoperability and conformity, one of the important aspects of the ITU C&I Programme concerns the development and maintenance of testing frameworks and methodologies.
It is essential that conformance and interoperability testing methodologies used by all study groups engaged in testing are aligned and consistent with each other. To achieve interoperability on a global scale, the ITU-T Recommendations must be developed and maintained with conformance and interoperability in mind according to the relevant methodology.
The objective of conformance testing is to determine how completely and correctly the requirements stated in the Recommendation have been met by the implementation. On the contrary, in interoperability testing, the objective is to determine if two or more implementations of the same Recommendation communicate and correctly exchange information with each other. It is generally assumed that the conformity of an implementation have been tested prior to perform an interoperability testing assessment.
The best practice of the C&I programs of SDOs and forums (such as IECEE, IEEE ICAP, BBF, MEF, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Alliance, WiMAX Forum, etc.) shows that a recognition procedure of testing laboratories (TL) is a possible way to ensure the credibility of their testing programme. In this regard, the development of ITU-T testing laboratory recognition procedure may allow ITU-T to provide developing countries a list of TLs which are competent in particular ITU-T Recommendations and continue studies on how to populate the ITU Product Conformity Database. This Question plans to collaborate with the ITU-T conformity assessment steering committee (CASC) which is mandated to explore further this recognition procedure.
Most of the telecom operators are implementing various emerging technologies and migrate from circuit-switched to the packet-switched networks, trying to provide their services using “all over IP” concept. As a result, operators face some issues which are in general related to the compatibility and interoperability of the used ICT equipment and the interconnection of IP-based networks (e.g. 4G, 5G), which, among others, will be used for roaming/nomadic services. For example, providing voice and video over LTE (VoLTE/ViLTE) roaming services pose some challenges to the operators due to the lack of agreed roaming procedures among stakeholders, various available VoLTE/ViLTE implementation scenarios and other not standardized issues (e.g. ENUM, emergency call, etc.). The conformance and interoperability testing of network-network interfaces (NNI) against ITU-T Recommendations may help operators to be sure that their VoLTE/ViLTE solutions are ready for interconnection. This interconnection approach may be also used for future packet-based networks, e.g. 5G/IMT-2020 and beyond.
This Question is responsible for Q.39xx-series (testing for next generation networks), Q.1912.x series, X.290-series (except X.292), X.Suppl.4, X.Suppl.5 and Z.500-series.
QuestionStudy items to be considered include, but are not limited to:
- What are the general test procedures for conformance testing?
- What are the existing ITU-T Recommendations which include test suites?
- What extensions or enhancements to existing ITU-T Recommendations are required to achieve conformity and interoperability?
- Which technologies that are being developed for the ICT market require conformity and interoperability testing (taking into account market needs)?
- What new ITU-T Recommendations, Supplements or other provisions are required (if any) to define or revise the definitions of testing methodologies and frameworks?
- What types of protocols need a testing description?
- What is the testing framework of interconnection of IP-based networks (e.g. 4G, 5G)?
- What kind of test suites are needed for IP-based networks interconnection?
- What are the test specifications to be used on UNI and NNI, especially in emerging technologies?
TasksTasks include, but are not limited to:
- study the general test procedures for conformance testing;
- identify the existing ITU-T Recommendations which include test suites;
- identify the extensions or enhancements to existing ITU-T Recommendations which need to achieve conformity and interoperability;
- identify market driven ICT technologies, which require conformity and interoperability testing;
- study new ITU-T Recommendations, Supplements or other provisions which need to define or revise the definitions of testing methodologies and frameworks;
- identify types of protocols which need a testing description;
- develop the testing framework of interconnection for “all over IP” networks (e.g. 4G, 5G);
- develop test suites to be used for testing interconnection;
- develop test suites to be used for testing UNI and NNI of the emerging technologies.
An up-to-date status of work under this Question is contained in the SG11 work programme
(
http://itu.int/ITU-T/workprog/wp_search.aspx?Q=11/11)
Relationships
Recommendations
- Q, Y, H, G, E, I, M, X, Z and F-series
Questions
Study groups
- ITU‑T SG13 on future network architectures
- ITU‑T SG15 on core and access technologies
- ITU‑T SG16 on multimedia services, applications and e-health
- ITU-T SG17 on testing languages, including TTCN-3
- All other ITU-T SGs that are involved with C&I activities
- ITU‑D SG1 and SG2
Standardization bodies
- ETSI (especially ETSI TC INT and ETSI TC NTECH)
- IETF
- IEEE
