Testing Telecom Application with Sample Testcases

Since the shift of telecom sector to computer network and digital medium, telecommunication sector has undergone a major software transformation. Telecom started depending on the various types of software components to deliver many services like routing and switching, VoIP broadband access, etc. Hence, that telecom testing has become an inevitable process.
In this tutorial, we will learn-

• What is Domain in Testing?
• Why Domain Knowledge Matters?
• Business Processes in Telecom Industry
• Typical Telecom Business Process
• Types of Protocols used in Telecom Industry
• Testing LifeCycle in the Telecom Industry
• Types of Testing Performed on Telecom Software
• Sample TestCases for Telecom Testing

What is Domain in Testing?

Domain is nothing but the industry for which the software testing project is created. When we talk about software project or development, this term is often referred. For example, Insurance domain, Banking domain, Retail Domain, Telecom Domain, etc.

Why Domain Knowledge Matters?

Domain knowledge is quintessential for testing any software product, and it has its own benefits like

Business Processes in Telecom Industry

For telecom testing end-to-end service verification is important. To ensure efficient testing a good understanding of different Business process is a must.
You need to understand each stage of service deliverability before drafting the test cases.
Telecom services are either based on a business support system that includes IVR's, Call Centers, generating invoices, etc. or an operation support system that includes routers, switches, cell towers, etc.
The following table shows what activities are performed at different levels

Telecom Department	Telecom Activities
Pre-sales	It handles all the sales information like discounts, services, promos, etc.
Ordering	Applying for a new connection or disconnecting a connection
Provisioning	This division deals with the physical connection between customers and TSP ( Telecom Service Provider)
Billing	Under this division, all billing work is done
Service Assurance	In case of any failure, this division corrects the problem
Inventory Systems	It is the repository of all information
Tracking	This division tracks the ordering system and the status of an order

Typical Telecom Business Process

Following is a typical business process in the Telecom Industry.

Types of Protocols used in Telecom Industry

Here the popular protocols used in the Telecom industry

• VoIP technologies: VoIP, IMS, MPLS, ISDN, PSTN
• Signaling and Protocols: SIP, ISDN, Codecs, H.323
• Wireless technologies: GPRS, CDMA, GSM, UMTS
• Network Management: SNMP
• Layer 2 Protocols: ARP, STP, L2TP, PPP
• Layer 3 protocols/routing: ICMP, BGP, ISIS, MPLS
• Infrastructure/Security: ATM, TCP/IP, LAN/VLAN, SSH

You can learn more about Protocol Testing here