Does that mean a different grade of OR engineer? What’s the difference in tasks performed? The problem is that some of the OR engineers I’ve had in the past don’t (I suspect) understand DSL thoroughly, but I’m perhaps being very unfair.
An SFI engineer is exactly as B*Cat describes, skilled in DSL faulting.
As in any group of people though, you'll have the good, the bad and the ugly .... from fully conversant in all things DSL/Network, to new starters freshly trained. It is the luck of the draw who you would get.
An SFI engineer though, should absolutely have
all the skill-sets that other engineers may only have one or two of ....... such as MDF/HDF accredited, UG accredited, OH and internal accredited ....... along with DSL accredited. In a nutshell, he/she should be able to perform any task required if a fault is found.
There's the rub ....
if a fault is found. They are given strict instructions to carry out the mandatory suite of tests (agreed with all ISP's) and if they all pass, it's adios amigo. They are requested to do so as there will be other customers requiring their services.
This is why it was agreed by all involved that there is a 'cone of acceptance' with regard to the tests. If your circuit falls in that CoA, then it's job done as far as OR and your ISP are concerned. If there is a fault found internally beyond the NTE, then the engineer can repair it if it falls within the 2hr total time paid for by the ISP. If the fault is found to be on OR's network, then there is no time limit on repairing it.
Faults never mend themselves, so if it isn't found on this visit due to being miniscule and in its infancy, then over time it will degrade for sure to the point the tests will find something untoward that can be worked on.
Of course, this will cause debate but it is what it is ....... if there's a nothingness kind of fault, that only by actively searching for it would you know it was even there, chances are the SFI visit will be 20mins long.
Cone of Acceptance, ISP's agreement to the CoA ... and other fault/install volumes to deal with are to be borne in mind.
I haven't read this thread in its entirety, so unsure as to what level of service affecting issues you are currently experiencing, Weaver.