Method and system for performing SIP loopback in communication devices

A method for performing loopback testing of a communication device that has been provisioned with one or more loopback values before performing of the loopback testing occurs, the provisioning occurring during initialization of the communication device for operation on a hybrid fiber-coax network, wherein each of the loopback values corresponds to a loopback type, comprising

• receiving a SIP Invite message in a call at the communication device over a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) network, wherein the SIP Invite message includes a value in a calling party identification field,
• determining at the communication device that the calling party identification matches a loopback instruction;
• processing the call at the communication device in response to the SIP Invite message according to the loopback instruction contained in the calling party identification field, and
• entering a loopback mode at the communication device corresponding to the loopback type associated with the value contained in a loopback instruction;
• and
• wherein the SIP Invite message does not include an explicit loopback request apart from the calling party identification.

A system for performing a loopback test of a communication device, comprising:

• a network device coupled to a communication network configured to facilitate voice telephony services according to a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) standard;
• a user device coupled to the communication network configured to provide receive and transmit telephony call messages on the communication network according to the voice over internet protocol standard, and to interface internet protocol messages to, and from, signals usable by a human, and
• wherein the network and user devices are configured to transmit and receive session initiation protocol messages over the communication network, and
• wherein the network device is configured with loopback variable values that correspond to a loopback mode, the loopback variable values used to initiate a loopback test of the user device using a SIP Invite message based upon inclusion of predetermined values in a calling party identification included in the SIP Invite message;
• and
• wherein the user device is provisioned with the loopback variable values so that when it receives a SIP Invite message in an incoming call with the loopback variable value contained in the SIP Invite message, the user device recognizes the incoming call as a loopback test request and enters a loopback test mode provisioned into the user device that corresponds to the loopback variable value in the incoming SIP Invite message, the provisioning occurring during an initialization process with the network device.