3G Peak Network Performance

Europe : Tektronix announced its new protocol test platform equipped with application software to test complex third-generation (3G) and existing second-generation (2G, 2.5G) mobile networks.

The ability to deliver peak network performance is key to operators whose profitability is dependent on successful end-user adoption of mobile network services. As complex 3G networks go live and operate with existing 2.5G and 2G systems, operators must be able to address a new set of Quality-of-Service (QoS) issues faster than ever in order to meet subscriber expectations. Operators and manufacturers (who must test trial network elements) require a class of protocol test tools that enables them to identify and analyse the source of service degradation in real-time, allowing resolution within minutes. With unmatched application software, including the first real-time Multi-Interface Call Trace for 3G, 2.5G and 2G networks. The new Tektronix K15 protocol test platform is equipped to address these network issues and enable faster resolution of quality problems under normal and heavy traffic conditions.

"Through technical innovation and a true understanding of customer needs, Tektronix brings to market the most powerful troubleshooting software available to enable effective operation and maintenance strategies and sustainable profitability for network operators and equipment manufacturers", said Bob Agnes, Vice President, Monitoring & Protocol Test, Tektronix: "With its new K15 platform and suite of application software solutions designed to meet the most demanding network needs, Tektronix raises the bar for protocol analysis and performance and maintains its reputation for having the most comprehensive instrument on the market."

Real-time multi-interface call trace, automatic Iub configuration enables fastest resolution of service degradation. When service degradation is reported, a message, or "trouble ticket", is sent to the operator's operation and maintenance technician. It is critical to an operator's business that the technician resolve each "trouble ticket" as soon as it is received. Because current test systems only allow call trace on a single interface and in off-line mode (post-process), it can take hours or days to resolve tickets. In addition, when monitoring the lub interface in the radio access area of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) networks, technicians may need to restart the UMTS base station (Node-B) to obtain necessary parameters to configure the monitoring application. This further complicates and delays maintenance and troubleshooting measurements.

With Tektronix' new K15 protocol test platform and supporting application software, operators can resolve "trouble tickets" within minutes with first-to-market real-time Multi-Interface Call Trace and automatic UMTS lub configuration. The real-time troubleshooting capabilities of the K15 application software allow technicians to automatically configure monitoring parameters, correlate data coming from multiple interfaces and locate the root cause of faults while sustaining high data capture rates. Technologies supported include UMTS, CDMA2000, cdmaOne, EDGE, GPRS and GSM.

Unrivalled data-capture rates in real time allow manufacturers to address quality issues even in heavy traffic scenarios Equipment manufacturers are tasked with performing a number of tests on trial network elements before they are implemented into live networks. Manufacturers must analyse massive amounts of protocol data to identify failed procedures and dropped calls when performing load, stress, duration and acceptance tests of trial network elements and networks. In comparison to existing solutions that only allow off-line analysis, the K15 offers unmatched stream-to-disk data acquisition (up to 10 Mbps) while running real-time key performance analysis on lub, Gr, lu-PS, lu-CS, enabling the location of root cause under heavy traffic conditions.

About the K15 protocol test platform
The new Tektronix K15 protocol test platform and application software support troubleshooting of live and trial 3G, 2.5G, and 2G mobile networks. The K15 is a high-end portable hardware platform with a suite of new software applications. The platform runs on a high-performance cPCI bus architecture that hosts several boards to connect to multiple interfaces including E1/T1/J1 electrical, STM-1 optical, and 10/100 Mbit/s Fast Ethernet. Remote control and NTP/GPS time synchronisation between different units are integrated into the platform. Available software applications include decoding for EDGE, UMTS and CDMA2000 protocols; expert software for real-time Multi-Interface Call Trace for EDGE, UMTS and CDMA2000; automatic UMTS Iub monitoring configuration; and offline GPRS network performances analysis.