Combined Ixia, Catapult Soln Delivers Wireless Network Testing

Ixia has announced a combination of wireless and wireline test tools. In June 2009, Ixia acquired Catapult Communications with its suite of platforms for testing wireless edge and core networks. In combination with Ixia’s Internet core network test solutions, Ixia can now offer a broad portfolio of products to test wireless and core networks. Ixia covers the range of next-generation wireless networks with the addition of large-scale LTE (long-term evolution) to products for UMTS, IMS and GPRS/ EDGE testing.

“The combination of Catapult and Ixia technology creates good synergy,” said Atul Bhatnagar, president and CEO of Ixia. “For the first time, telecom equipment manufacturers and service providers can test their LTE products end-to-end – from the wireless edge through the Internet core – using high call volumes and high-bandwidth multi-play traffic.”

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With more than 35 network commitments worldwide, LTE is the emergent next-gen wireless network, offering the bandwidth and features needed to support large communities of new multimedia devices. Two key Ixia products test wireless edge, wireless core and Internet core networks used in LTE deployments: IxCatapult and IxLoad. Unlike earlier wireless technologies, LTE includes the eNode B, a high-performance device that implements most of the functionality of a central controller and vastly increases its complexity.

IxCatapult tests high throughput, low latency eNode Bs by emulating the wireless and core network devices around them – performing a wrap-around test at all stack layers. IxLoad tests the wireless edge and core networks that handle high multi-play traffic volumes, and performs the performance testing required by LTE core networks. Wireless core networks must handle the difficult task of delivering content that is sensitive to latency, jitter and loss to a variable number of users over inherently limited bandwidth. Such devices use very sophisticated techniques, including deep packet inspection (DPI), to shape traffic so as to ensure all users have a quality experience. IxLoad uses subscriber modeling to generate multi-play traffic that realistically imitates the behaviour of mobile user communities. Ixia’s test platform, featuring Acceleron load modules, generates, analyses and measures traffic at the volumes needed.