Interoperability Testing Programme
Interoperability Testing Programme
The RCS Project has a significant stream of activity devoted to device, pc and client application interoperability testing (IOT). The purpose of IOT is to support the RCS Project’s ‘Go To Market’ strategy, proving interoperability between products and thus giving assurance to Operators who are considering piloting commercial services. For mass market access, interoperability of mobile services is vital. RCS pilots, such as the one in France between Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR, are only possible because of interoperability across the networks involved. IOT also enables the device and client application vendors to fine tune their products on live networks with an IMS core provided by one of the infrastructure vendors.
Interoperability testing usually takes place four times a year, hosted by one of the RCS Project’s operator or infrastructure vendor member companies along with support from one or more other operators in order to establish the multi network environment. Test sessions move location for each quarterly round of testing in order to ensure all RCS infrastructure vendor systems are included. At least one multi-site network-network interoperability (NNI) session is anticipated during.
Test sessions
The IOT test sessions are extremely focussed and comprehensive for the participating vendors. A comprehensive range of specific Test Cases (TCs) explore all the aspects of RCS Release specifications. The most recent IOT, held in Helsinki in October 2009, was the first session to test RCS Release 2 (R2) in addition to Release 1 (R1). As evidence of the commitment and investment by the vendor community in RCS, over 60% of the devices tested were using R2 clients, just 3 months after the launch of the specification.
For the Helsinki session, additional TCs to cover specific R2 functionality such as video share and voice calls between mobiles and pcs, as well as R2 based chat, were included. The upcoming Q1 2010 test session will add TCs for the verification of multi-device functionality (e.g. a mobile and a PC both providing R2 functionality).
A full test suite requires the testing of 130 TCs with every other vendor. IOT sessions are hard work for the engineers involved, lasting typically a full week in order to test most of the new functionality. The testing methodology is continuously refined to build on anything learnt from previous IOTs. Specific radio coverage and network set-up is provided so that the results are a genuine assurance for Operators, all of whom are very interested in the results.
Strong support for RCS from device and client vendors
Each IOT involves an impressive number of terminals and clients – each session usually being oversubscribed – which in itself is a further confidence booster for Operators as an indication of the variety of products that are in the development stages by vendors. It also indicates the major investment by vendors in the development of RCS products. At the Helsinki IOT in November 2009, Terminals and Clients were tested from 14 companies with over half of the testing done against Release 2 (mobile or pc).
Typical results
The full details of the Terminal and Client list along with specific platform information are available to members of the RCS Project only via the GSMA Infocentre. The following overview is taken from the latest Terminal and Client listing. This will be updated to reflect new client or terminal compliancy statements from the vendors.
RCS Terminal and Client Listings
| Vendor | Release Tested | Platform | |
| Alcatel-Lucent |
R1 and R2
|
Windows (PC) | |
| Aylus |
R2
|
Symbian S60 (mobile) | |
| Comneon |
|
HTC Diamond (mobile) | |
| Comneon | R2 | Windows (PC) | |
| Ecrio | R1 | Mobile & PC (WM, W32, Java, Flash) | |
| Ericsson | R1 and R2 | SonyEricsson OSE (mobile) | |
| eyeP Media | R2 | Windows (PC) | |
| Genaker | R2 | J2ME (mobile) | |
| Huawei | R2 | Windows (PC and mobile) | |
| LG | R1 | Windows mobile | |
| Movial | R1 and R2 | Windows (PC), MacOS, Linux and Symbian S60 (mobile) | |
| Neusoft Mobile Solutions | R2 | Symbian S60 (mobile) | |
| Nokia | R1 and R2 | Nokia Symbian S60 | |
| Nokia Siemens Networks | R2 | Windows (PC) | |
| Samsung | R1 | Samsung proprietary (mobile) |
Compliancy data correct as at November 2009 as supplied by vendors
Further insight into IOT
A number of RCS devices and clients from the above list can be seen in action in the GSMA’s RCS IOT Video.
For further information on IOT, please contact Vladimir Durovic who is responsible for the co-ordination of IOT testing for the RCS Project.
