Tektronix Communications Enhances Network Equipment Manufacturers’ and Mobile Network Operators’ Ability to Deploy LTE with Confidence

The new features allow NEMs and mobile network operators to address the challenges that arise in a live LTE network that they otherwise could not address with their current toolset given the flattened LTE architecture, such as:

• Handover issues including Inter Radio Access Technology (IRAT) which mobile stations and NEM
traces are unable to capture
• eNodeB characterization and the integrity of eUTRAN SON algorithms
• Benchmarking and advanced troubleshooting analysis for new LTE handsets
• Interworking with 3G and legacy networks

Based on data collected from the K2Air probe, the Network and Service Analyzer (NSA), with its new software release, is specifically designed and enhanced to aid NEMs and mobile network operators in addressing these new challenges with toolsets to accelerate the LTE deployment from the labs to the field. Its advanced architecture gives true end-to-end visibility to RAN/RF Engineers through the Uu monitoring interface provided by the K2Air probe.

K2Air’s in-depth data collection feeds NSA to perform intelligent correlation and analysis to give NEMs and operators a wide variety of ways to address issues from monitoring multiple network sites to drilling down to particular handset and application issues. The NSA’s new features monitor control and user plane traffic distribution, core issues across multiple sites, eNodeB performance, and LTE handset performance.

“NEMs and operators are limited to the tools that they have to properly certify the transition to LTE networks and meet the pressures of time-to-market,” said Richard Kenedi, vice president, Test & Optimization, Tektronix Communications. “The new NSA software release promises to automate troubleshooting workflows that ultimately affect the NEMs and RAN engineers’ ability to improve the time to problem resolution. But what’s more important at this stage of LTE deployment is that we’re giving these departments a chance to become empowered with better information about their network quality so they can make the right decisions before going live with LTE.”

About NSA and K2Air
NSA leverages the industry award-winning K2Air solution, which combines a unique method of monitoring LTE Uu interface data via a CPRI digital RF interface. This scales the investment for NEMs and mobile operators as they have a solution that helps them accomplish critical tasks related to LTE lab test, pre-operational, and production networks. NSA and K2Air are already being used for FOA activities, troubleshooting in the field, and benchmarking the performances of different eNodeB and handset vendors.