Verizon Network Designers and Equipment Suppliers Continue to Raise the Quality Bar

250 Participants to Gather at Verizon’s 14th Annual Forum on Network Hardware Specifications, Standards and Testing

Verizon is working with its suppliers and other industry stakeholders to meet the highest standards of performance excellence and environmental protection by hosting the 14th Annual Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) forum next week in Orlando, Fla.

“Verizon is focused on the energy efficiency, service quality, reliability and environmental impact of the networks we build and rebuild, so we take communications with our suppliers about the performance we expect of them and their equipment very seriously,” said Chuck Graff, conference founder and director of NEBS compliance and quality assurance for Verizon. “This year, 250 participants from nine countries, representing more than 80 manufacturers and testing labs, will meet and commit to working with us to more quickly deploy the highest-quality, most efficient gear possible.”

This year, new “topologies,” or network design parameters, will be among the central topics of discussion. New network designs must reflect the growing use of fiber optics and other systems in delivering nontraditional services like video and multimedia content over transformed networks.

“When the purpose of the network evolves as new uses of networked data emerge, the overall picture in network design changes,” Graff said. “As this happens, we have to continue to press for efficiency and quality. That’s why this year’s conference is key, and it’s why it is totally sold out.”

Presenters during the three-day event, which runs from October 8-10, will focus on topics as varied as equipment energy efficiency, banning hazardous materials in network gear, advancements in fiber optic components, and the importance of standards, certification and testing across the board.

Under Graff’s guidance, Verizon last spring led the telecommunications industry with a bold requirement that suppliers selling equipment to be installed after Jan. 1, 2009, should provide new gear that is at least 20 percent more energy efficient than equipment already in place. Verizon established a series of formula-based Telecommunications Equipment Energy Efficiency Ratings that test the consumption of equipment in various operating conditions and settings.

Co-sponsor of the event, Underwriters Laboratories, will play a key role in the supplier orientation, including a keynote address by Keith Williams, CEO. “UL’s participation helps emphasize the broad impact of energy, quality and safety standards,” Graff said.

Graff, who manages compliance and operates an informational Web site at www.verizonnebs.com, will also be Verizon’s representative to a new group developing environmental standards for the industry under the auspices of ATIS, the industry’s standard-setting body.