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From: Julian Macassey <julian@bongo.uucp>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Terradine FORTEL System
Message-ID: <10285@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 31 Jul 90 18:02:00 GMT
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In article <10157@accuvax.nwu.edu>, ucla-cs!smcnet.smc.edu!
lawrence@cs.ucla.edu (Lawrence Roney) writes:

> GTE in our area now has the voice response FORTEL system.  It is a
> rather neat piece of equipment that seems to do much of the work that
> the testboard operators of the past used to do.  When installers or
> repair people come out, they often use the system.  I have seen it do
> the following:

Here is a response from my GTE mole re FORTEL:

Fred speaks out about FORTEL.....

      Actually FORTEL can do as much as the old manned test board
position but do it a lot faster and more accurately. Being a
computerized test facility it is available 24 hrs and can rapidly
switch from call to call. NO specialized test equipment is required,
any standard touch tone phone will do. The voice response is in simple
English and no interpretaion is necessary. Anyone could use and
understand the system (although it is restricted to use by GTE
employees only).

      There is much that FORTEL does, you mentioned a few examples:

>>	-- Tell distance in 1/10th of a mile to our demarcation point.
>>	-- Check for ringers on the line and read back the number found.
>>	-- Produce a tracer tone on the line.
>>	-- Ring the line.

But it does much more than that. It runs a full diagnostic on the line,
checking for:

        -- High resistance shorts on the loop, 
        -- Foreign voltage present on the line, 
        -- Unbalanced lines, 
        -- Open tip or ring, 
        -- Crossed tip or ring
        -- Proper capacitance,  
        -- Proper siganlling states
           (i.e. on-hook, off-hook, maintainence busy, customer busy)
        -- and much, much, more

FYI, the FORTEL reporting system is not only used by GTE for new
installations but for all residential trouble reports as well. This
not only provides proof that the line has been repaired and is
funtioning properly but also provides an automatic time accounting for
the individual repairman in the field. Yes, FORTEL for the most part
has replaced the majority of manned test positions and is a shining
example of how a properly designed computer system can do a simple,
repetitive job faster and far better than a live person.


Julian Macassey, n6are  julian@bongo.info.com  ucla-an!denwa!bongo!julian
N6ARE@K6IYK (Packet Radio) n6are.ampr.org [44.16.0.81] voice (213) 653-4495