VoIP Speech Quality Benchmarking Event

Leading suppliers of VoIP equipment participated in an anonymous benchmark comparison of speech quality performance. The event is organized by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and hosted by HEAD acoustics. The tests are carried out by HEAD acoustics using their laboratories, test systems, and consulting experts. This is the fourth time this event has been conducted and has become very popular with manufacturers of IP Gateways and IP Phones.

The test results show the current state-of-the-art of VoIP equipment under controlled IP network conditions (end-to-end as well as mouth-to-ear scenarios), providing important hints for the optimization of speech quality and allowing a benchmark comparison of the products. Moreover, the results of the ETSI VoIP SQTEs have become an important marketing tool for the participating manufacturers, because the test methods used for the SQTE have developed into the standard for speech quality evaluation of VoIP equipment.

It is important to note that the test procedures for the ETSI speech quality test events are now defined in an ETSI standard: TR 102 648-1.

The test sequences were conducted using the HEAD acoustics communication analysis system ACQUA and - for the IP phone tests - the artificial head measurement system HMS II.3. HMS II.3 can be equipped with both, ITU-T 3.3 and 3.4 artificial ears. Under various network scenarios and test conditions both artificial test signals as well as real speech samples were used.

The anonymous ETSI SQTE test report is also available at the HEAD acoustics website.

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