Maintenance termination unit

Telecommunications testing apparatus for use near the demarcation point between a telecommunications network and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) connected to said telecommunications network, said apparatus comprising

• means responsive to receipt of Touch-Tone sequences generated in a remote test center for performing a series of performance measurements on said CPE and said network, wherein for at least some of said measurements, said apparatus is arranged to isolate said CPE from said network, and
• means for establishing audio communication between a user of said testing apparatus and said remote testing center, whereby ones of said performance measurements can be performed cooperatively by a person in said test center and said user.

A Maintenance Termination Unit (MTU) arranged to perform tests on Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) connected to a telecommunications network to isolate problems as being in said CPE or in said network, said MTU including

• a microprocessor arranged to perform a sequence of tests under the control of a technician,
• means in said MTU operable to isolate said CPE from said network, and
• means in said MTU for establishing two way audio communication between said technician and a user of said MTU during performance of at least a portion of said test sequence.

Apparatus for performing remote testing on Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) connected to a telecommunications network, said apparatus being connected near the point of demarcation between said network and said apparatus, said apparatus comprising

• a processor for controlling the performance of a test sequence,
• a plurality of switches actuatable by a user to control said processor, and
• a speakerphone allowing audio communication with said user during said testing, wherein said apparatus is arranged to derive operating power for said processor and said speakerphone from said telecommunications network.

A method for testing a telecommunications system including a telecommunications network and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) connected to said telecommunications network, said method comprising the steps of

• isolating said CPE from said network and performing a series of performance measurements on said CPE and said network, both in response to receipt via a communications path of Touch-Tone sequences generated in a remote test center, and
• establishing audio communication via said communications path between a user of said testing apparatus and said remote testing center, whereby ones of said performance measurements are performed cooperatively by a person in said test center and said user.

Telecommunications testing apparatus for use near the demarcation point between a telecommunications network and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) connected to said telecommunications network, said apparatus comprising

• means operative to isolate said CPE from said network only in response to local actuation by a user of said testing apparatus,
• means responsive to receipt of Touch-Tone sequences generated in a remote test center for performing a series of performance measurements on said CPE and said network, and
• means for deriving power to operate said testing apparatus from said telecommunications network.