Market leading multivendor post processing for LTE

Planning Validation: Network planners need to understand if theoretical models used in planning tools are accurate. Functional Testing: During the early phases of rollout basic functional testing is required to ensure the network is ready to handle traffic.

To complicate matters LTE provides unique features that will present new measurement challenges: LTE features such as MIMO offer the possibility of higher data rates but are not achievable in all network conditions. The success of LTE rollouts will depend on understanding when and where the new features are available, being used and what improvements they deliver. LTE is first and foremost a data network. Voice measures like drop call rate (DCR) are both easy to measure and broadly representative of customer experience. In contrast data networks require complex KPIs that measure both the underlying IP network and the services, such as web surfing, video streaming and Twitter updates that run over it. Inter technology handover is a traditional weakness in new networks technologies. Initial LTE deployments will provide capacity overlays in data hotspots, meaning that successful handover to 3G networks will be critical to maintaining user experience.

The LTE Rollout Challenge

The mobile internet is here and many mobile networks are experiencing a year on year doubling in the volumes of data traffic they need to support. For most operators the only cost effective strategy to cope with this exponential data growth is the deployment of LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks. LTE will enable operators to carry data traffic at a lower cost per bit than current network technologies thanks to improved spectral efficiency, a simpler all IP architecture, increased equipment standardization and improved operational efficiency through SON. However, LTE is a new and evolving standard and to realise its full potential operators need to measure, validate and maximise real world performance during the early phases of network rollout. Drive testing will be a key feature of the LTE rollout process and operators and vendors need a post processing tool able to support: Acceptance Testing: A detailed acceptance process will enable operators and vendors to ensure the correct performance of their LTE networks prior to launch. To do this it is essential that they capture the right performance measures, get the correct diagnoses for problems and receive accurate guidance on how best to resolve issues.

Operators and vendors require a powerful and flexible post processing tool that has been specifically built for LTE.

Actix Industry Leadership in LTE

Actix is maintaining its leadership in mobile network analytics and has gained real world LTE experience in research projects, test networks and standards bodies. Actix is already helping the leading edge operators in the process of rolling out some of the worlds first LTE networks and has been nominated for an Informa Award recognizing LTE industry leadership. Analyzer for LTE is the first multi-vendor post processing solution for LTE on the market today; it features: Full support for LTE scanners and Ue devices Detailed LTE measurements with flexible KPI definition Dedicated data service analysis for troubleshooting data services Performance reports for use in Acceptance Testing

Analyzer for LTE

Actix has transformed its market leading Analyzer product to bring the same advanced capabilities already used by 9 of the top 10 operators in UMTS rollouts to LTE. Analyzers power and flexibility enables it to support both detailed radio engineering analysis and the creation of complex acceptance KPIs and reports. Support for LTE Logging Tools: Analyzer supports the latest logging formats from all major vendors including Qualcomm, Accuver, Rohde & Schwarz, Agilent and TEMs. Including both Ue and Scanner support. LTE Network Measurement Visualization: Analyzer enables powerful visualization of key LTE network measurements including: Radio Quality CQI, RSRP, RSRQ Modulation & coding Frame usage MIMO analysis Scheduler variations. Resource allocation Event analysis: RRC, NAS

Detailed RF Analysis: Radio Network Analysis enables the analysis and verification of RF conditions including coverage (overshooting, cross feeders), interference, and neighbors. IP Packet Inspection: Analyzer provides full IP layer decodes and session analysis to provide full inspection into the IP traffic layer supported by LTE allowing KPIs to be built that cover Jitter and other measure of IP performance. Summary Dashboard: Analyzer highlights failed KPIs and summarizes the performance of all data sessions in an easy to use dashboard. From here engineers can quickly understand the performance of individual data sessions, whether LTE features were used and drill down to establish the underlying causes of any problems and areas of poor performance. LTE Acceptance Reporting: Out of the box reports can be tailored to communicate whether a broad range of LTE acceptance criteria are being met; these include: Accessibility Retainability RF Verification (such as RSRQ, RSRP, CQI, MIMO, ) Service Verification (such as throughput, initialization time, jitter, etc.)

Flexible KPI Definition: Analyzers event and query engines allow virtually any KPI to be built from LTE network and data service measurements. The ability to define and measure a rich set of KPIs is essential to acceptance reporting. Dedicated Data Service KPIs: Analyzer provides top down KPIs that measure the quality of how different data services delivered over LTE are perceived by end users. For each service thresholds can be set to define precise goals for data service performance. These allow the detection of: IP service setup failures and drops Data sessions failures due to radio link drops Low absolute throughput for a network technology Low composite throughput across different network technologies (LTE, 3G, 2G) Web browsing high page download duration High ping round trip time Lost pings

Reports can use exclusion zones and other exceptions to paint an accurate picture of network quality.

Data Session Analysis: Analyzer enables drill down to full data session analysis providing in one location all the information required to understand the root cause of the problems affecting the quality of data services. The analysis covers the entire data session and provides a view of data service performance synchronized with network measurements and the underlying layer three messages.

Benchmark reports can be built allowing operators to compare their LTE network performance and coverage with their competitors and their existing network.

About Actix
Actix is one of the worlds leading mobile network analytics companies, helping mobile network service operators provide reliable connections on a global scale. Established in 1991, weve grown to support more than 500 customers, with over 10,000 active software licenses deployed.