Keith Kidd Named President; Brings Long-Standing Commitment to Streamlined Test-Gear Standards to New Group

NEW YORK, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon's Keith Kidd, a 30-year telecommunications veteran and an expert in systems-and-equipment testing programs and processes, has been named president of the newly formed Network Test Automation Forum.  

The forum is a global effort to promote interoperability among test tools and to simplify and automate the processes used by service providers, network equipment manufacturers and other enterprise organizations to test equipment in a laboratory, prior to deployment.

Kidd, a director in Verizon's Network and Technology Labs, said that the process for testing equipment to be deployed in networks can be streamlined and that ultimately, "better integration of testing tools will lead to faster technology introductions and better, innovative services for customers."

He noted: "Automated testing is no longer a luxury.  Every organization engaged in defining, developing and delivering new services must automate as much as possible to improve the speed to market and reduce the overhead of delivering their product or service. That's what the forum will promote."

The Network Test Automation Forum (NTAF) was founded by Breaking Point Systems, BT, Cisco, Ericsson, EXFO, Empirix, Fanfare Software, Ixia Communications, JDSU, Spirent Communications and Verizon.

NTAF is professionally managed by Association Management Solutions (AMS), which provides its clients with a powerful combination of dedicated staff and internal technology development, event services and strategic marketing resources.  AMS works with forums, special interest groups, standards bodies and technology associations.  Clients include: Broadband Forum, IETF, Optical Internetworking Forum, MultiService Forum and the Gaming Standards Association.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 91 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of approximately 222,900 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About Network Test Automation Forum (NTAF)

The Network Test Automation Forum brings together users, vendors, and other telecommunications and data communications industry experts for the purpose of creating interoperable testing solutions for service providers, network equipment manufacturers, and other enterprise organizations with large network deployments. 

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SOURCE Verizon

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