Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA), a leading,
global provider of converged network testing solutions, recently announced the
availability of its IxCatapult X800 appliance, used for ultra-high-scale
capacity validation of 3G and 4G/LTE mobile networks. The new IxCatapult X800
provides critical validation of complex control plane scalability for both 3G
and 4G/LTE networks. It verifies network design and implementation by emulating
control plane signaling on a city scale. The combination of IxCatapult and the
X800 allows service providers to be confident that their networks can handle
the huge influx of smartphone traffic without compromising network
availability.
The smartphone market is growing exponentially, and the chattiness
of new applications and devices is severely straining network deployments.
Theoretical capacity planning without practical validation of device and
network scalability is a blueprint for network failure. Past and present 3G
network experiences show that service degradation and service interruptions
occur most often from improper capacity planning, misbehaving devices, and/or
improper application design. Poor network quality costs vendors and operators millions
of dollars in lost revenue and damaged reputations. On a small scale, poor
client device or application design may not affect a network and often go
unnoticed. On a large scale they cause severe issues and service failure.
Using the X800, properly functioning devices and misbehaving
devices can both be represented – allowing engineers to design networks that
avoid issues from non-standard devices, poor power management schemes, or
incorrect application design. Precise modeling replicates the behavior of new
devices (handsets, dongles, and tablets) in a lab environment and allows
operators to properly plan and deploy their wireless networks. Proper
validation is the only way to guarantee network scalability issues are
discovered early in the planning and design cycle.
Key Facts
- · The X800 allows ultra-high-scale wireless control plane testing in a compact 2U design.
- · The X800 provides the industry’s most comprehensive range of wireless protocols for testing for 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, and SS7. Users are provided with a vast library of pre-built test scenarios, and can fully customize them to specific test applications.
- · The X800 is designed with high-port density, Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) interfaces, and the ability to emulate virtually any device in a wireless network. This allows the appliance the capability of fully isolating a device under test.
- · In combination with Ixia’s IxCatapult, theX800 has unmatched flexibility in protocol state machine design for both positive and negative testing.
“Control plane scalability
is a critical factor for mobile networks as the onslaught of data traffic from
subscribers, devices, and applications increases exponentially. Testing a
network's control plane capacity requires unique and precise measurement tools,”
said Stéphane Téral, Principal Analyst, Mobile and FMC Infrastructure from
Infonetics Research. "Ixia's X800 appliance is the type of device that
provides the level of testing needed to accurately assess the control plane
capability of a mobile network.”
“Service providers face great challenges in understanding the true
performance of their new LTE networks when millions of smartphones go live in a
metro area,” said Joseph Zeto, Sr. Manager, Market Development at Ixia. “The
new X800 appliance provides a cost effective solution to fully validate
capacity and bullet-proof network designs – reducing the risk of poor service
quality or service interruptions.”
Resources
For more information on Ixia’s mobile testing solutions, see http://www.ixiacom.com/solutions/testing_wireless/index.php.
About Ixia
Ixia is a leading provider of converged IP performance test systems and service verification platforms for wireless and wired infrastructures and services. Ixia’s test systems are used by network and telephony equipment manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, service providers, governments, and enterprises to validate the performance and reliability of complex networks, devices, and applications. Ixia’s multiplay test systems address the growing need to test voice, video, and data services and network capability under real-world conditions.
Ixia is a leading provider of converged IP performance test systems and service verification platforms for wireless and wired infrastructures and services. Ixia’s test systems are used by network and telephony equipment manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, service providers, governments, and enterprises to validate the performance and reliability of complex networks, devices, and applications. Ixia’s multiplay test systems address the growing need to test voice, video, and data services and network capability under real-world conditions.