Method and apparatus for testing a digital communication channel

In a digital communication system in which frames of digital data are transmitted at selected rates over a communication channel between a remote terminal and a base station, a method for measuring a performance of said communication channel comprising the steps of:

• transmitting, from said remote terminal to said base station over said communication channel, a first of said frames of digital data wherein said selected rate of each of said frames is selected in accordance with a model of human speech, said first frame of digital data including a first packet of digital test data;
• receiving, at said base station, said first frame of digital data;
• generating, at said base station, a replica of said first packet of digital test data;
• and
• comparing said replica of said first packet of digital test data to said first packet of digital test inherent within said first frame of digital data received at said base station so as to determine said performance of data transmission over said communication channel.

In a digital communication system in which frames of digital information are transmitted at selected rates over a communication channel from a base station to a remote terminal, a method for measuring a performance of said communication channel comprising the steps of:

• transmitting, from said base station to said remote terminal, a packet of digital test data within each of said frames of digital information wherein the selected rate of said digital test data is selected in accordance with a model of human speech;
• receiving, at said remote terminal, said frames of said digital information transmitted from said base station;
• generating, at said remote terminal, replicas of each of said packets of digital test data within said frames of digital information received at said base station;
• and
• comparing said replicas of said packets of digital test data to said received packets of digital test data so as to determine said performance of data transmission over said communication channel.

In a communication system in which digital information is transmitted at selected rates over a communication channel, a system for measuring a performance of said communication channel comprising:

• a transmitter for transmitting a test sequence of digital data at one or more selectable rates over said communication channel wherein the rate of said test sequence is determined in accordance with a model of human speech;
• a receiver for receiving said test sequence of digital data transmitted over said communication channel, said receiver including means for generating a replica of said test sequence of digital data;
• and
• a digital comparator circuit for comparing said replica of said test sequence of digital data to said test sequence of data received over said communication channel so as to determine said performance of data transmission over said communication channel.

In a digital communication system in which frames of digital are transmitted at selected rates over a communication channel between a remote terminal and a base station, a system for measuring a performance of said communication channel comprising:

• a transmitter, disposed in said remote terminal, for transmitting a packet of digital test data within each of said frames of digital information wherein the rate of said packet of digital test data is selected in accordance with a model of human speech;
• a receiver, disposed at said remote terminal, for receiving said frames of said digital information transmitted from said base station;
• means for generating replicas of each of said packets of digital test data within said frames of digital information received at said base station;
• and
• means for comparing said replicas of said packets of digital test data to said received packets of digital test data so as to determine said performance of data transmission over said communication channel.