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Tollgrade–s New Virtual Broadband Technician Product Eliminates Half of Broadband Service Providers– Repeat Field Dispatches

CRANBERRY, PA — (Marketwired) — 10/29/13 — ., the industry leader in redefining the global standard for reliability at the world–s largest electric utilities and telecommunications providers, announced today the availability of their revolutionary for broadband service providers. Used by field engineers, the VBT pinpoints the causes of problems at the customer premises (in the home or local access network) that are otherwise difficult to diagnose and can disrupt or slow down broadband services, leading to repeated call center complaints and field visits. These repeat problems, like intermittent faults, noise on the line and unresolved line speed instability, can cause customers to unnecessarily replace their premises equipment, repeatedly call service centers and eventually leave their service provider when problems remain unresolved.

Actual data from VBT field deployments found that 82 percent of tested customer premises equipment (CPE) would have been returned unnecessarily had it not been for the diagnostic capability of the VBT. By correctly pinpointing problems inside the home that would otherwise have been left undiagnosed, the VBT reduced repeat dispatches by over 50 percent, saving millions and reducing customer churn. With fewer field visits and returned equipment, VBT enabled service providers to yield a payback on their investment in a matter of weeks, while significantly improving customer satisfaction.

“As the demand for high speed Internet increases and the reach of more complex DSL services extends to more customers, the support costs to resolve problems originating inside the home have greatly increased,” said Mark B. Peterson, Vice President, Global Sales, Broadband at Tollgrade. “By correctly pinpointing problems that would otherwise have been left undiagnosed, the VBT reduces repeat dispatches and normalizes the repair process. But, the biggest benefit for service providers is that the VBT pays for itself after the first saved dispatch.”

Placed in line with the residential DSL modem, the VBT performs a series of tests, and can diagnose the cause of the problem — whether it lies within the customer premises (e.g., electromagnetic interference in the home) or anywhere in the local access network — and can confirm when the problem is fixed once and for all. The VBT automatically runs a battery of 50 tests, which complements the capabilities of traditional handheld devices, and includes intuitive test results, allowing technicians to take action to address many of the most common problems, including:

No Internet service

Slow Internet service

Random dropping of connection

Poor speed or connection at particular time(s) of day

Network equipment or CPE / modem problems

By detecting conditions that other test solutions miss and normalizing the repair process, service providers can reduce performance variation from technician to technician and focus on delivering faster xDSL services and high-value customer applications.

Tollgrade–s VBT is currently available and shipping. For more information, please contact or view presentation .

With over 200 million lines under test, millions of utility outage minutes avoided annually and 25 years of experience successfully locating faults at the world–s largest electric utility companies and telecommunication service providers, Tollgrade is redefining the global standard for reliability. Our award-winning fault detection hardware and predictive analytics software is deployed on four continents to help operators avoid network outages and reduce customer downtime. Tollgrade has been recognized as one of the Top 13 Smart Grid Companies to Watch in 2013 by SmartGrid News, received the 2012 Smart Grid Product of the Year from TMCnet and is a 2013 Red Herring 100 Finalist. Learn more by visiting

Cathy Clarke
CNC Associates
+1 617-527-2089 (mobile)

Anne-Laure Leroyer
Manager, Marketing
Tollgrade Communications, Inc.
+1 202-701-0083 (mobile)
+1 703-707-4588

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