A vital element of turning specifications into robust, deployable platforms is a trusted testing program, and in open environments, this will typically be provided centrally, by an independent body. This saves time and money for operators and vendors, which can reduce their own interoperability and performance testing. It can also lead to a certification initiative, which can enable a genuinely mix-and-match, plug-and-play platform akin to that in WiFi equipment. This adds a major dose of confidence for operators which want to buy from multiple, and unfamiliar, vendors; and improves price competition. The TIP community is gearing up for this major testing role as its specs move into commercial products and at the TIP Summit, it announced that it was expanding…