No Hidden Surprises

Spirent puts the promise of LTE to the test

A New Standard
Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology supports the next generation of mobile services. Moving far beyond basic voice and texting, LTE also enables wireless broadband access.
This new technology offers the promise of being the first truly global wireless standard, increasing speed and capacity for networks with download speeds in excess of 100 Mb/s and uplinks of greater than 50 Mb/s. The LTE specification supports scalable bandwidths from 1.4 to 20 MHz, making it possible for service providers to offer new revenue-generating residential and enterprise services that were previously impossible. The promising benefits are tantalizing, with ABI projecting that the total 4G mobile consumer service revenue will top $70 billion worldwide in 2014.1 Deployments are already underway; the first LTE public rollout was by TeliaSonera on December 14, 2009, when service was initiated in Stockholm and Oslo. Other major service rollouts are also expected soon from carriers such as Verizon, NTT DoCoMo, T-Mobile, Vodafone, AT&T, and many others around the globe. As of December 2009, 51 operators in 24 countries had committed to LTE deployments.2 LTE technology must coexist with legacy networks and devices for quite some time, which could be a source of major interoperability issues, resulting in network resource outages and service interruptions. The move to LTE will impact all aspects of wireless service, including network infrastructure, device design, business models, and services. So, despite the enormous promise of LTE, challenges remain. Service providers need to ensure that there are no hidden surprises when their LTE network goes live. The good news is that they can count on Spirents LTE test solutions to get below the surface and address the unknowns of LTE.

1 2

http://www.abiresearch.com/press/1580-4G+Mobile+Consumer+Service+Revenue+Will+Exceed+%2470+Billion+in+2014. Accessed January 11, 2010. http://www.gsacom.com/news/gsa_290.php4. Accessed January 14, 2010.

Business Challenges
The economic reasons for moving to LTE are compelling. Increased bandwidth and potential new revenue-generating services can deliver what was previously only available through fixed networks, as well as a reduced cost per bit for operators.

However, to be successful, service providers need to immediately address the business challenges of an LTE upgrade, particularly in terms of meeting cost/ profitability goals and time to market. It is critical for operators to maximize their return on investment (ROI) in new infrastructure. Some of the initial investment will be paid back right away in terms of lower operating costs and improved service offerings. Operators are moving quickly towards LTE, and they need cost-effective, timely rollouts that will ensure ROI. New networks must deliver value on day one, and continue to do so far into the future. Only comprehensive testing will ensure that. One way to enhance profitability is to offer tiered pricing and service packages for different customer groups. These new packages must be quickly and fully tested across all elements of the network in order to speed time to market. Running realistic, realworld simulations with Spirents LTE test solutions can accurately specify

the performance characteristics of backhaul, network, and device equipment under real-world conditions and help to define the optimal balance of bandwidth and potential new services. By emulating multiple elements of the network or devices, Spirents LTE test solutions can help determine the best network topology and make the most effective use of laboratory equipment, thereby reducing capital expenses and the ongoing support costs associated with a test lab for bringing on new services. Choosing the right test solution provider can make all the difference for service providers looking to profit from the promise of LTE. The right solution delivers automated test methodologies with intelligent, easy-tointerpret results that make it possible to quickly and accurately validate performance during all stages of design, development, and deployment. And the right solution provider has global reach, expertise, and ability to put the promise of LTE to the test.

Increase in traffic volume requires low cost/bit technologies to remain profitable

Traffic Volume Network Cost (UMTS, CDMA)

Revenue Network Cost (LTE)

Time

Voice Dominated
Source: Nokia Siemens Networks

Data Dominated
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Network Challenges Performance Matters

Even when business challenges are addressed, network challenges remain. LTE requires a significant investment in network infrastructure and mobile devices to ensure a high Quality of Experience (QoE) for subscribers.
Most LTE deployments are likely to be upgrades, so LTE equipment and services need seamless compatibility with incumbent network technologies. Consumers selecting an LTE device will expect it to work on the first day of service deployment, so the secret to success will be thorough testing of network components and devices, with comprehensive verification during the design, development, and deployment phases. Major potential pitfalls include call drops, network resource outages, and poor quality of service (QoS), which would mean that real-time voice or video signals are not getting priority over lower priority data, such as texting. Poor QoS can result in jagged video, degraded audio, or an application time-out on a web page. And an overall poor QoE can result in subscriber churn and lost revenue.

Avoid Dropped Calls

To be successful at the most basic level, a service provider must avoid dropped calls; they are a major inconvenience for subscribers and are immediately noticed and remembered. To ensure consistent service, the LTE network needs a fully functional and innovative backhaul network as well as high-performance receivers that support multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) technology, a hallmark of the LTE specification. With these features, the network will also be positioned to offer high data rates and innovative new services. To ensure that the mobile network offers excellent coverage with good data speeds and no dropped calls, both indoors and outdoors, it should be tested using a robust traffic emulator.

Keep Networks Online

As new LTE services are installed in legacy systems, network operators need to validate overall network and device performance as well as interoperability between new and legacy infrastructure equipment. To achieve this, it is important to have test solutions that handle multi-generational mobile network technologies, including LTE, HSPA+, EVDO, EV-DO Rev. A, as well as Ethernet and IP testing capabilities. The test solutions need to verify performance of the mobile devices, core networks, and the backhaul network.

Ensure QoE
To ensure QoE in LTE networks, tests must emulate realistic network conditions. With robust LTE test solutions, it is possible to fully validate performance, scalability, and interoperability of LTE networks and devices under real-world conditions. It is important to consider the entire network, including the backhaul, the core, and the device, to ensure that all elements operate together and that the data rates match the LTE specification. Robust QoE along with QoS testing can give service providers a competitive advantage, allowing them to optimize bandwidth while offering data-intensive, real-time applications, such as streaming video.

Innovate on the Backhaul

The most innovative mobile backhaul networks combine IP, TDM, and ATM networks into a single Ethernet network. These converged backhaul networks can transport traffic that uses multi-layer protocols, so service providers need to test protocol interactions and determine how problems on one network layer could effect the others. And, they need to adequately test the backhaul under realistic traffic loads and ensure that specific QoS requirements are met. All of this testing can result in a significant amount of data. Spirents powerful LTE test solutions help with extensive statistics and powerful real-time results analysis, rapidly allowing quick access to the answers and identifies any potential breakpoints and bottlenecks on the network. And the DUT Correlation feature provides a correlated picture of the measured results with statistics polled, so problem areas can be quickly identified.

Seamless Mobility Managing Complex Networks

Sometimes the most sophisticated aspects of a technology are in evidence by the simplicity presented to its end users. Mobile subscribers dont care to know when their signal has been transitioned across networks, across IP servers, or even to legacy radio technologies. No matter how complex the delivery, wireless users expect the system to work automatically and transparently. Delivering this seamless mobility requires a lot of planning and care on the part of operators and device manufacturers alike. Spirents experts have vast experience in this critical area and have delivered the appropriate solutions for years. Today, that experience extends to LTE and related technologies. In fact, a single Spirent system can create a realistic multipletechnology, multi-generational cellular service environment in the lab.

Glossary
AN BTS eNodeB ePCF FA GGSN GPRS HA HSGW HSS LTE MIMO MME MSC Access Node Base Transceiver Station or base station evolved NodeB (LTE base station) evolved Packet Control Function Foreign Agent Gateway GPRS Support Node General Packet Radio Service Home Agent HRPD Serving Gateway Home Subscriber Server Long-Term Evolution Multiple-In Multiple-Out (antenna technologies) Mobility Management Entity Mobile Switching Center PCF PCRF PDN PDSN PGW PMIPv6 RAT RF RNC Packet Control Function Policy and Changing Rules Function Packet Data Network Packet Data Serving Node PDN Gateway or Packet Data Network Gateway Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol version 6 Radio Access Technology Radio Frequency Radio Network Controller

SC-FDMA Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access SGSN SGW UE Serving Gateway Support Node Serving Gateway User Equipment

How well will a mobile deal with multiple-antenna schemes like Diversity and MIMO? Are fall-back schemes well-designed and effective? Can you test a group of LTE network elements as a single entity? Can you also isolate individual elements for testing and characterization? How do mobiles and the network deal with changing propagation conditions? Or are you hoping your subscribers will just stand still? What about handovers between new and legacy RANs? Does the mobile handle them properly? Does the core network? How will a mobile app deal with a downed server or lost connectivity? Will it overrun the network with connection requests?
LTE CDMA/EV-DO eHRPD UMTS

PGW

PCRF

What data rates will subscribers see? At what cost to network resources? Is it enough to say that a mobile passed standard tests? If not, can you quantify the performance of the mobile?

SGW

HSS

MME

How sensitive is data traffic to control plane issues, both on the mobile and on network?

eNodeB

eNodeB

HA

Will the network scale to meet the demands of tomorrow?

BSC/PDF
NodeB 1x BTS

PDSN/FA

Does the mobile handle data well during roaming? Does the network?

AN/PCF

NodeB

How will new applications affect mobile performance? What about network performance?

eHRPD- capable EV-DO BTS

RNC GGSN SGSN MSC

eHRPD RNC

AN/PCF

AN/PCF

The Spirent Advantage

The promise of LTE is that it fully supports voice, video, text, web traffic, email, gaming, location-based services, and presence applications. To reliably validate new LTE services, test solutions must reproduce the complexity and scale of a real network. If the test equipment concentrates exclusively on the radio frequency links or on the IP backhaul, then interaction and hand-off problems can remain hidden with potentially disastrous effects.
The best test system delivers the highest level of realism from backhaul to network and network to device, so designers can be confident that the system will perform when it is deployed. By rigorously testing a network, it is possible to determine before deployment if it will:
Scale to meet the capacity and performance required for complex traffic Process millions of calls during activation, deactivation, and hand-off Maintain high QoE with various access models Sustain high QoE with redundancy and high availability

When you are ready to select your test solution partner, heres what you should look for:
Comprehensive solutions that meet your requirements Depth of networking experience from backhaul to device Maximum performance and functionality for the lowest price Financially sound Global support and expertise Quick-turn engineering support Training and operational support Long-term customer partnerships

Comprehensive solutions for backhaul, core and mobile device testing

8100 Automated Device Test System SR5500 Wireless Channel Emulator Landslide Performance Test Solution Spirent TestCenter Spirent TestCenter Live LTE/multimode mobile device RF performance, system selection and data throughput performance. RF, protocol, RRM conformance testing (with AT4 wireless) Wireless receivers in both mobile devices and eNodeBs Simulation of real-world traffic models for packet core networks Integrated solution for testing converged Ethernet Mobile Backhaul networks Live network monitoring and service assurance solution

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The Spirent Solution Putting the Promise of LTE to the Test

With a long history of providing wireless, IP and Ethernet test solutions for backhaul, core network, and mobile device testing, Spirent is unique among test companies because we offer the most comprehensive set of solutions for testing LTE networks, backhaul, and devices.
Service providers and network equipment manufacturers around the globe have depended on Spirent test equipment for years, and our LTE solutions are already in place with several operators as they prepare for their early deployments. Spirent has the depth of experience and track record required to help deliver new mobile technologies, including HSPA+, CDMA/EV-DO, UMTS/3G, and, now, LTE. Our development, engineering, and support teams understand the challenges you face and the pitfalls to avoid in wireless, wireline, and converged networks. With Spirent, you can aggressively test from backhaul to device with confidence, ensuring reliability and performance under real world conditions. The following products comprise Spirents LTE test solutions:

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Testing Device Performance and Conformance

Spirent 8100 Mobile Device Test System
The modular Spirent 8100 tests the latest UMTS/LTE mobile devices and chipsets. The Spirent 8100 spans the entire lifecycle of testing, including R&D, development testing, conformance/certification, benchmarking, evaluation, acceptance, applications, and regression. Reporting and root-cause analysis tools allow for quick interpretation of test results and comprehensive characterization of device performance. The 8100 features unique capabilities for simultaneous emulation of multi-technology (LTE, CDMA/ EV-DO, UMTS), multi-cell networks, including advanced enhanced packet core (EPC) emulation. This enables the broadest possible test coverage of LTE multi-mode device performance, including RF/MIMO, multi-mode system determination, data throughput, interradio access technologies and more. RF, protocol and Radio Resource Management (RRM) Conformance Testing on the 8100 platform is also enabled through a partnership with AT4 wireless.

SR5500: Wireless Channel Emulator

In a wireless network, there is nothing more critical than adequately testing the receivers. Spirent has a long history of expertise in RF fading and interference, and the SR5500 wireless channel emulator is a proven and efficient solution for testing wireless receivers, regardless of the access technology: LTE, HSPA, HSPA+, EV-DO, WLAN, and WiMAX. Able to handle the MIMO configurations of LTE systems as well as diversity and beam-forming designs, the SR5000 emulates critical radio channel characteristics, including time-varying multipath fading and delay, shadow fading, and channel loss. Because it is a modular solution, the SR5000 is scalable to support changing test requirements, and it allows testers to quickly translate spreadsheets into complex testing scenarios.

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Testing the Backhaul and Mobile Packet Core in the Lab

Spirent Landslide
The Landslide traffic emulator simulates real world traffic models to evaluate network core components and servers in wireless networks. Supporting up to 800,000 mobile nodes and 2,000 network components in a single chassis, it offers industry-leading scalability, since up to 32 chassis can be used together. Featuring a graphical user interface (GUI) that streamlines complex test scenarios, Landslide simulates realworld usage of mobile nodes in various stages of activation, deactivation, and hand-off between cells. Landslide transmits and receives realworld application data, simulating how subscribers will simultaneously use the wireless network using various access technologies, including LTE, WiMAX, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000, MIPv4/MIPv6, AAA Radius/Diameter, IP Client Data, and femtocell. The Landslide platform supports all protocols in a single test system, including upper layer protocol support for: HTTP 1.0/1,1, FTP, WAP 1.x/2.0, POP3, RTSP, RTP, RTCP, TFTP, SMTP, iMAP, MMS, SIP, DNS, and telnet.

Spirent TestCenter
Spirent TestCenter has been designed to be the most flexible, scalable, and reliable test system in the industry to test the highly-integrated, converged, anything-over-anything hybrid networks of today and tomorrow. Supporting all major protocols and services, the Spirent Test Center enables realistic testing of multi-play services and control and data plane protocols over broadband networks. As backhaul networks evolve to carriergrade IP and Ethernet, the Spirent TestCenter is already a proven solution that supports testing over wireless, fiber, or T1/E1 virtual pipes. Testers can scale the number of ports, subscribers, sessions, routes, tunnels, VLANs, and type of traffic. Integrated test wizards and test automation features can significantly reduce time to test.

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Service Assurance in the Mobile Backhaul Network

Spirent TestCenter Live
The explosive growth of media-enabled smartphones has set off a bandwidth grab. Mobile carriers have responded by migrating from legacy TDM to high speed Ethernet for their backhaul networks. To ensure a 4G experience mobile carriers must verify that the Ethernet networks leased for wireless backhaul are provisioned and operating correctly. Once provisioned, wireless carriers must also have the ability to rapidly isolate troubles to the wireless network or the alternate access vendor in order to ensure quality. Spirent TestCenter Live provides the provisioning and network quality verification tools wireless providers need to rapidly turn-up and troubleshoot wireless backhaul circuits. The Spirent TestCenter Live 1GbE and 10GbE probes provide simultaneous passive monitoring and proactive 24x7 performance monitoring and fault isolation in a single probe, reducing dispatches and enabling the growth of Ethernet without an equivalent growth in staffing.

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 2010 Spirent Communications, Inc. All of the company names and/or brand names and/or product names referred to in this document, in particular the name Spirent and its logo device, are either registered trademarks or trademarks pending registration in accordance with relevant national laws. All rights reserved. Specifications subject to change without notice. Rev. B 03/10

Spirent Communications
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