For a variety of electronic products, standards play a vital role to ensure safety, guaranteed performance, and compatibility with other equipment and interfaces. Nowhere is this more so than in the field of telecommunications. With so many different manufacturers developing innovative products in a fiercely competitive marketplace, telecommunications standards are crucial to ensure that products and systems from one manufacturer inter-work satisfactorily with those of another. Global standards are the key to a worldwide market for products and systems, and good performance for all services and connections.

DSPG recognise the huge importance of international telecommunication standards, and is keen to promote standards in all spheres of the company's expertise. Currently, DSPG contributes to committees within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the FCC.

The ITU involvement is on two fronts. Building on the considerable experience gained in the development of the Echo Canceller Tester, DSPG contributes to Study Group 15 on the continued development of Recommendation G.168 (Digital Network Echo Cancellers). Echo cancellers are one of the key elements aimed specifically at improving the quality of network connections, and G.168 defines requirements for echo canceller objective performance. The important role that G.168 plays can be summarised as follows:

  • allows manufacturers to design echo cancellers relative to defined minimum
  • performance requirements
  • gives level of confidence for Network Operators
  • gives Network Operators a procurement specification
  • gives application guidelines for Network Operators

    The second aspect of DSPG's ITU involvement is contribution to Study Group 16 on the V.18 modem standard. It is also with regard to this standard that DSPG has attended recent FCC meetings. DSPG has a great deal of experience with many modem standards, and deriving from text telephony development work, has particular interest and expertise in the V.18 standard.

     

    		•