Europe : NetTest, a global provider of operational support solutions for advanced and converged networks, today announces the launch of Compass 3G. The post-processing performance analysis solution enables 3G operators and vendors to accelerate the deployment and maintenance of UMTS networks whilst improving QoS and reducing churn.

Compass 3G features session-oriented analysis providing operators with an unsurpassed end-to-end view of network and service performance using live user traffic. With the powerful top-down test methodology, operators can speed up deployment, troubleshooting and optimisation of services with a customer-centric view while substantially increasing operational efficiency.

The vendor-independent Compass 3G is based on the third generation platform of Compass and uses a completely new state-of-the art Graphic User Interface and database framework, ensuring full scalability and usability. The new platform is client-server based, allowing customers to create multiple users and workspaces, and store and share multiple recordings among different users.

"With Compass 3G, UMTS network rollout can effectively be accelerated by as much as one to two months, meaning that operators can realise revenues from new services much faster", says Jacob Krogsgaard, vice president Networks Business Unit, NetTest. "Compass 3G builds on the success and experience of NetTest's Compass GSM and Compass GPRS solutions, enabling 3G operators and vendors to rapidly resolve the most challenging performance and functional problems."

Compass 3G analyses signalling and user data obtained directly from the network data, providing detailed reports on reasons for attachment failures, failed calls, and soft as well as softer handover problems. Operators can check every failure in-depth using the message sequencing and call tracing features that visualise the progression of signaling transactions across multiple interfaces.

Compass 3G is part of NetTest's scalable and unsurpassed UMTS portfolio, which enables 'Greenfield' 3G operators and GPRS service
providers migrating to 3G to confidently build new revenue streams, bring new services to market, and rapidly deploy UMTS networks.

NetTest's UMTS portfolio also includes InterQuest Analyser for local network and service performance analysis, MetroQuest for real-time monitoring and troubleshooting of local networks, and MasterQuest UMTS for end-to-end network and service monitoring and troubleshooting.