Practice Test Geeks(CTE) Certified Telecommunications Executive Practice Test
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System Architecture & Design Flashcards

7 cards from real CTE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 System Architecture & Design flashcards as text

  1. In a telecom network using MPLS, what is the role of the Label Edge Router (LER)?

    Answer: To assign and remove MPLS labels at the ingress and egress of the MPLS domain

    The LER (also called PE router) imposes MPLS labels on incoming packets and removes them when packets exit the MPLS network, enabling label-switched forwarding.

  2. What is the key architectural difference between TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) and packet-switched networks for voice transport?

    Answer: TDM allocates fixed time slots guaranteeing bandwidth while packet networks share capacity dynamically

    TDM reserves a dedicated time slot per call guaranteeing constant bandwidth, while packet networks share capacity dynamically, requiring QoS mechanisms to protect voice.

  3. A CTE candidate is asked about 'loose coupling' in telecom service design. Which example best demonstrates this principle?

    Answer: Services that communicate via published APIs with well-defined contracts, minimizing dependencies

    Loose coupling means services interact through stable published interfaces, allowing each service to evolve independently without breaking its consumers.

  4. In telecom capacity planning, what does Erlang B formula specifically calculate?

    Answer: The probability of call blocking given traffic intensity and number of circuits

    Erlang B calculates the probability that a new call will be blocked (finding all circuits busy) for a given offered traffic load and circuit count, assuming blocked calls are lost.

  5. Which 5G network function is responsible for storing subscriber data and providing it to other network functions upon request?

    Answer: UDM (Unified Data Management)

    UDM stores subscriber profiles, authentication credentials, and subscription data, serving as the central repository in the 5G core network service-based architecture.

  6. What is the primary purpose of introducing a 'Service Mesh' in a cloud-native telecom architecture?

    Answer: To handle inter-service communication, observability, and security without modifying application code

    A service mesh (e.g., Istio, Linkerd) manages microservice-to-microservice traffic, providing load balancing, mutual TLS, circuit breaking, and telemetry transparently via sidecar proxies.

  7. When evaluating a telecom architecture for GDPR compliance in the US context of CPRA/CCPA, which design pattern best supports the 'right to erasure'?

    Answer: Data segregation with subscriber-keyed stores enabling targeted deletion

    Segregating personal data into subscriber-keyed stores allows the system to locate and delete all data associated with a specific individual without affecting other records.