TL 9000/QuEST Forum

The Quality Excellence for Suppliers of Telecommunications (QuEST) Forum was created by a group of leading telecommunications service providers, including BellSouth. The purpose of QuEST Forum is to establish better quality requirements for the industry and create a consistent set of quality system requirements that apply to the telecommunications industry worldwide.

TL 9000 is a set of quality system requirements that will ultimately apply to an estimated 10,000 telecommunications suppliers worldwide. U.S. telecommunications companies purchase $50 - $100 billion in goods and services annually from these suppliers, and the global market is estimated to be considerably larger. See more about BellSouth’s policy concerning TL9000.

This unusual partnership between the service providers and suppliers to implement requirements to improve the quality of telecommunications products and services reflects the close relationships characteristic of the telecommunications industry. Joint problem-solving is basic to the success of what has become one of the most dynamic and fast-paced industries in the world.

Release 3 of both the TL 9000 Requirements and Measurements Handbooks has been issued and the Forum is planning future releases. Current QuEST Forum information including membership and TL 9000 Registered Organizations can be found at www.questforum.org.