Operators have learned some very hard lessons rolling out 3G networks and are looking to avoid making the same mistakes with their new 4G/LTE networks. 3G is often referred to, in confidence, by network engineers at the large operators as “the best effort network,” due to its rigid and inflexible nature. 3G was not properly specified and, more pointedly, a lot of equipment supplied by vendors has proved unsatisfactory in providing operators with the tools to properly handle the rapid increase in data and video traffic.
The technical benefits of LTE are well-documented. However, it would be dangerously naïve to believe that the same network planning techniques should be used when rolling out LTE. We are very much at a cross roads, LTE specifications provide vendors with the blue print to build equipment for a more intelligent network. Leading operators are quickly shifting from the “get it working” stage of LTE to really analyzing how it will give them very granular and dynamic control of subscribers and service types.
The realities of 100 percent year-on-year traffic growth driving a need for 30 percent year-on-year CapEx growth do not synch well with three per cent revenue growth. Without having a finely-tuned network that maximizes revenues and deals with capacity issues, operators know they are in a perilous situation.
By working with the world’s leading service providers, Ixia has a first-hand account of how those carriers are preparing their networks to handle the most important trends in mobile broadband. With innovative test equipment and best practices for validating VoLTE, creative charging models, and the ability to make the move to business-grade video, we can help you build a smarter 4G/LTE network.
Atul Bhatnagar, Ixia president and CEO will speak on this subject at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, February 29, 2012. He will share an insider view and his experience working with the leading mobile operators to prepare their networks to handle wireless security, VoLTE, business grade video, tiered service plans, and Wi-Fi offload.
3G Networks are reaching mass deployment stage around the world. Meanwhile, “on the go” smart phones are emerging as on-ramps to the Internet and the target for media rich applications of the future. The journey to worldwide 4G LTE wireless has begun in earnest. With the advent of 4G wireless applications, the world will shrink even faster, drawing subscribers together in new and powerful ways. We are heading fast towards an always-on, always connected world. Engaging media-rich mobile applications will become the norm. The productivity gain from this hyper interactivity will be profound. The transition from 3G to 4G wireless network, however, will also unleash a level of unprecedented complexity. To mitigate the risks in this 3G to 4G transition, every network equipment supplier and service provider will need to use methodic planning, simulation and network testing tools. 4G networks will usher in increased bandwidth, reduced network complexity and lower operational costs – if deployed with systematic thought to end-to-end quality. Ixia is preparing next generation testing tools for the deployment of LTE networks and applications so as to ensure that subscribers receive outstanding experience from their 4G networks. This requires thorough verification of new generation of 4G network equipment, smart user devices and media rich applications. Ixia’s 3G/4G wireless testing tools, under the IxCatapult branding, are flexible, adaptive and very intuitive to use, testing all facets of the 4G network and media rich applications. IxCatapult can simulate hundreds of connected LTE user devices over the air interface while simultaneously playing the role of the wireless core network. By using these coordinated test solutions, eNodeB network access devices can be thoroughly tested through total exposure to full traffic capacity as well as error conditions. IxCatapult test solutions are used today by leading network equipment manufacturers and service providers in labs around the world. The 4G LTE revolution has started, and we are focused on enabling deployment of reliable, high performance, secure 3G and 4G wireless networks around the world.