Overseas AUTOVON Systems Testing for Acceptance and Cutover

On June 7, 1969, a major milestone in the augmentation of the Defense Communications System's global automatic voice network (AUTOVON) was achieved with the simultaneous cutover into an operational network of four automatic switching centers in Europe and one in Panama. With this cutover, for the first time direct-distance dialing on a worldwide basis became possible for AUTOVON subscribers. This successful cutover followed a period of intensive testing in which the switching equipment was thoroughly checked out, after which the entire system was tested in its operational configuration to ensure that the new system would provide satisfactory service to its high-level subscribers. A description of the test philosophy, test conduct, and test result is contained in this paper, together with recommendations for improvement in future cutovers.