Technicians who install and maintain optical network equipment in access networks apply the skills and knowledge in this unit to provide services in Next Generation Networks (NGN) using emerging technologies.

This unit applies to experienced field officers, technicians or technical supervisors working for telecommunications carriers, contractors or other service providers.

NGN services include internet protocol TV (IPTV), video on demand (VoD), interactive TV, mesh networks and cloud computing.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Prepare to conduct acceptance tests

1.1. Obtain installation and commissioning documents and planning specifications from appropriate personnel to ensure the installed optical network is as planned and specified

1.2. Conduct visual inspection of new installation and verify compliance of the system against relevant legislation, codes, regulations and standards and accepted industry practice

1.3. Select and obtain required test equipment for suitability of acceptance testing

1.4. Prepare acceptance schedule and test criteria in consultation with appropriate personnel

2. Conduct acceptance testing

2.1. Conduct and evaluate performance tests to ensure measurements meet with predetermined specifications and approved operating margins

2.2. Verify performance levels to be within tolerance specifications set in manufacturer's instructions

2.3. Test protection mechanisms to ensure performance criteria meets the specified standard

2.4. Test alarms for satisfactory operation and refer identified problems to appropriate personnel for remedial action

2.5. Record all acceptance test procedures and results

3. Complete administrative tasks

3.1. Complete acceptance documentation including recommendations

3.2. Notify appropriate personnel and obtain sign off

Required skills

analytical skills to interpret test equipment settings and readings

communication skills to:

liaise with customers and technical staff to ensure requirements are known and can be met within timeframes

prepare reports and technical documentation

literacy skills to interpret technical specifications, standards documents and related documentation

numeracy skills to make calculations and necessary calibration changes

planning and organisation skills to develop activity plans to undertake inspections and tests in efficient manner

safety awareness skills to:

apply precautions and required action to minimise, control or eliminate hazards that may exist during work activities

work systematically with required attention to detail without injury to self or others, or damage to goods or equipment

technical skills to correctly handle, connect and calibrate test equipment

Required knowledge

cabling, terminations and supporting structures that may be encountered in the system under inspection

common performance levels and standards

electrical and optical properties to be measured

occupational health and safety (OHS) issues appropriate to the environment under inspection

overview of typical network topologies, switching, routing and transmission techniques

transmission type and signals that may be encountered

various test equipment types suitable for tests to be made

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to:

verify 'as built' installation against installation plans

undertake acceptance and commissioning tests and analysis against specified performance criteria

complete report, including acceptance test procedures, results and recommendations

comply with all related OHS requirements and work practices.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

sites on which acceptance tests may be conducted

use of testing equipment currently used in industry

relevant regulatory and equipment documentation.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct observation of the candidate undertaking acceptance tests

oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of tests and inspections types of systems and applications

review of completed acceptance documentation for systems and equipment prepared by the candidate, including recommendations.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

ICTTEN5059A Commission telecommunications network equipment

ICTTEN5092A Undertake outage management.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Installation and commissioning documents may include:

agreed modifications to original design plan

commissioning test results

preliminary test results

recommendations from commissioning procedures.

Appropriate personnel may include:

network manager

planning manager

project manager.

Optical network may include:

10 Gbps ethernet local area network (LAN) services over the emerging global standard called optical transport network (OTN)

DWDM long haul system

DWDM metro system

gigabit Ethernet

optical portion of HFC network.

Relevant legislation, codes, regulations and standards include:

Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) standards and codes

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) technical standards

International Standards ISO 9000 and 9001

ITU Standards

OHS

Privacy Act

private property law.

Test equipment may include:

advanced network tester - synchronous optical network (SONET)/synchronous digital hierarchy(SDH)

optical power meters

optical return loss test set

optical spectrum analyser

optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR)

protocol analyser.

Test criteria may include:

24 - 72 hours test duration

live traffic tests

test environment

test margins and errors

testing at highest data rate:

10 Gbps

40 Gbps

100 GBps

topology:

point to point link

protected ring

normal and extreme load tests

using installed optical fibre during test.

Performance tests may include:

end-to-end bit error rate (BER) test:

stressful pseudo random binary sequence (PRBS) pattern

forward error correction (FEC) testing

G.709 testing

receive interface specification:

received optical power

stability tests

transmit interface specification:

optical output power.

Protection mechanisms may include:

1:1 protection

1+1 protection

optical channel path protection

path protection

wavelength protection.

Alarms may include:

audible alarms

on-screen display and monitoring systems

visual indicators.

Unit sector

Telecommunications

Optical networks

This unit contains employability skills.