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. >