The picturephone® system: Maintenance Plan

The addition of Picturephone® service to the communications services offered by telephone operating companies requires that additional maintenance tasks be performed by the plant forces. The Picturephone plan provides the structure for integrating the new video telephone maintenance functions with existing telephone maintenance functions. Maximum use of built-in testing features in the switching machine and the inclusion of transmission testing facilities that are a logical extension of telephone testing arrangements provide economical and comprehensive tools for accomplishing the complex tasks of installation, circuit acceptance and trouble isolation. The flexibility of the plan permits the assimilation of advanced techniques into the field as well as prompt appraisal of field experience. The plan is described in terms of its major segments, i.e., maintenance for switching, lines and trunks. The interaction of the maintenance hardware arrangements with the Picturephone plant is outlined together with an overview of the work locations and examples of tasks to be accomplished.