YOU ARE AT:Test and MeasurementTest and Measurement: LTE drives network monitoring, optimization

Test and Measurement: LTE drives network monitoring, optimization

A new report from ABI Research concludes that the adoption of LTE is driving the market for network monitoring and optimization, and the market’s size will reach more than $40 billion over the next five years.

“Mobile optimization is more important than ever,” ABI noted, adding that “the advent of all-IP services, including [voice over LTE], [voice over Wi-Fi], [and LTE-Unlicensed/License-Assisted Access] requires close attention from the operator to assure [quality of experience].”

Deep packet inspection, optimization and policy are the largest segments for optimization in terms of monetization or revenue enhancement, ABI said.

• Anite added coordinated multi-point to its supported test technologies, enabling better visibility into the performance of devices at the cell edge.

CoMP is an LTE-Advanced feature for mitigating interference and improving performance at the cell edge through dynamic coordination among base stations. Anite’s SAS and Conformance Toolset test solutions for devices now support uplink and downlink CoMP as well as different transmit modes, according to the company.

Anite said recently that it’s seeing particular sales success for its Nemo Invex II benchmarking test offering for LTE and LTE-A, including Cat 6 devices and VoLTE.

• Anritsu launched a new radio communication analyzer, the MT8821C, which it describes as “an all-in-one RF tester with the widest capability for supporting [LTE-A], as well as all other adopted technologies.” The system is backwards compatible with Anritsu’s MT8820C analyzer platform.

The new analyzer has eight transmitter and two receiver ports to support up to 4-component carrier aggregation using 2×2 MIMO, as well as 2CC in the uplink. It has a built-in radio frequency combiner and supports technology tests from 2G to 4G while covering 30 MHz to 6 GHz.

Anritsu also said this week that its MD8475A Signaling Tester has been certified by an unnamed Chinese mobile carrier to simulate base stations in tests for global roaming.

• Greenlee has a new solution for technicians installing Wi-Fi to optimize and test the network. AirScout will characterize the wireless environment for Wi-Fi and uses data to select the best channel and best location for an access point, as well as producing an on-screen report that can be shown to customers. Greenlee said that the test solution “goes beyond simple test and measurement by validating a home for WiFi readiness and identifying solutions to solve potential problems.” 

• Keysight Technologies added an option to its InfiniiVision 4000 and 3000T X-series oscilloscopes to support the high-performance serial bus protocol for automotive control and diagnostic purposes known as ISO CAN FD.

The company also recently extended its warranty options for existing test equipment that is both new and out of production.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Kelly Hill
Kelly Hill
Kelly reports on network test and measurement, as well as the use of big data and analytics. She first covered the wireless industry for RCR Wireless News in 2005, focusing on carriers and mobile virtual network operators, then took a few years’ hiatus and returned to RCR Wireless News to write about heterogeneous networks and network infrastructure. Kelly is an Ohio native with a masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where she focused on science writing and multimedia. She has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, The Oregonian and The Canton Repository. Follow her on Twitter: @khillrcr