Scenario
Long-term Evolution (LTE) is the fastest-growing mobile technology of all time. With subscriber numbers and network traffic from smartphones and media-rich applications exploding worldwide, evolving 4G deployments present mobile operators and infrastructure equipment providers with complex new challenges as they transition from 2G and 3G networks.
Faced with rampant change, mobile service and equipment providers must be fully confident in the performance, scalability, security, mobility, and interoperability of their products and services.
Most failures occur at high scale or under extreme conditions, and the risks of rolling out devices, networks, and services without conducting comprehensive testing beforehand are tremendous. Vendors and network operators need an efficient means of prototyping live networks in the lab on a metro/city scale to validate performance under load. End-to-end, pre-deployment service validation should include closely modeling the services the live network will carry using real application traffic and measuring the QoE users will receive.
Proactively stressing networks and components in the lab prior to live deployment addresses today's toughest challenges:
- Increased capacity requirements in both the access (base stations) and core networks
- Improved performance requirements –throughput, lower latency, etc.— for increasing video traffic and data-hungry applications
- Higher QoE expectations among customers – voice quality and video quality
- New business models and tiered rate plans that maximize revenue
- Security threats increasing in number and complexity
With many networks involving equipment from multiple vendors, specific configurations and traffic mixes must be modeled in order to benchmark scalability, avoid bottlenecks, and ensure security. Lifecycle testing is required to:
- Evaluate scalability and breaking points of individual devices and configurations
- Optimize network design and system test in the lab
- Debug problems occurring on the deployed network
- Streamline change as new devices, firmware upgrades, and other changes are introduced
Optimizing for the Long-Term
In deploying modern LTE access networks, optimizing the performance of evolved node B (eNodeB) base stations and “small cell” low-power access points proves essential. In the evolved packet core (EPC), operators now also must cope with dramatic spikes in signaling traffic that can overwhelm infrastructures and increase the risk of network outages and billing errors.
Mobile network operators and infrastructure equipment manufacturers will continue to invest hundreds of millions each year to deliver and deploy scalable, resilient LTE infrastructures. To ensure the success of new products and services, the ability to support and deliver converged voice, data, and video services based on guaranteed quality must first be validated.
Ixia's breakthrough wireless test solutions and deep wireless expertise help vendors and mobile operators to develop and implement best practices for existing and emerging wireless technologies in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.
Ixia Solutions
Ixia provides the industry's most comprehensive wireless test portfolio, encompassing both deep functional testing and high-scale capacity and performance testing across multiple technology generations. Equipment manufacturers and mobile operators rely on Ixia's solutions to fulfill their entire wireless testing needs. Our industry-leading test capabilities cover wireless access and wireless core, including the 3G packet core, 3G circuit switched core, 3G radio access network, LTE access, LTE evolved packet core, IMS, and SS7/PSTN interconnect.
| DUT | Emulated Nodes |
|---|---|
eNode B |
UE, eNode B, MME, SGW |
| MME | HSS, eNode B, SGW, MME |
| SGW | MME, eNode B, PDN-GW |
| PDN-GW | SGW, PCRF, SGW, IP Core |
| Network | UE, IP Core |
Ixia's wireless solutions are best of breed for:
- Complete end-to-end testing from the wireless edge to the Internet core
- Traffic and subscriber scalability and capacity planning
- Real-world subscriber modeling
- Quality of experience measurements
- Multi-UE emulation
Suggested Applications and Platforms
IxCatapult |
Full wireless protocol testing for:
|
IxLoad |
Full layer 4-7 testing, with protocol emulation for:
|
IxCatapult Chassis |
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XG12 Chassis |
12-slot high-performance chassis, with optional load modules: |
Ixia |
All-in-one LTE/4G/3G test lab to validate the performance, security, and stability of mobile networks and equipment using real-world behavior of millions of mobile users |
Network Impairment Emulation |
Anue Network Emulators precisely emulate real-world network impairment conditions in the lab, for the test and validation of your network-based products, applications, and services prior to deployment. |