VoIP Voice and Fax Signal Processing

13.10 VoIP INTEROPERABILITY

In VoIP standards and request for comments (RFCs), several options and states are given for completing end-to-end calls. Compliance tests ensure signaling level test cases. Many implementations may not go through complete compliance tests. VoIP interoperability tests help with interworking in a deployment. Inter-ops tests are conducted as follows:

1. Participating in VoIP inter-op events, where several VoIP implementers will be participating in the organized inter-op events. These events usually last for few days. It may be difficult to fix all the issues in the inter-op event. The fixes may be validated in the subsequent events.
2. Major issues and results can be gathered by conducting tests with several adapters, IP phones, and gateways in the laboratory and deployment setup. This is one of the useful exercises, and most of the implementers will be taking up this exercise in their own facility. In some form, this inter-op testing also takes care of compliance testing.
3. Tests are also conducted with the certification agency. Some certification agencies conduct a minimal version of inter-op with a fixed setup. The setup can take care of part of the inter-op and compliance tests. The time available for such certifications may last for a few weeks.
4. Tests with the service provider and user experience may be the last step. In general, this testing will be conducted after successfully passing several tests as given in the previous sections. Service provider setup ...