Ixia announced a new radio access network (RAN) test product, IxLoad LTE XAir2, specifically designed for service providers, equipment and chip-set makers, as well as enterprises developing LTE Advanced Pro (4.5G) and 5G-related products and services. IxLoad LTE XAir2 combines scale and performance testing, with realistic subscriber emulation and quality of experience (QoE) validation, for applications and services. Additionally, IxLoad LTE XAir2 can be used for testing LTE on the unlicensed spectrum.
“5G offers great opportunities particularly for organizations participating in the industrial Internet of Things,” said Jessy Cavazos, Industry Director, Measurement & Instrumentation, at Frost & Sullivan. “While 5G presents these opportunities, it also presents unique challenges in performance and quality of experience for which organizations need to prepare. Testing solutions like Ixia’s will help organizations ensure that their 5G products and services for consumers and industry perform as promised.”
Service providers, equipment and chip-set makers, as well as enterprises, are beginning to develop products and services that leverage the opportunities offered by the Internet of Things (IoT). However, 5G presents unique technical challenges in terms of Wi-Fi and LTE-unlicensed spectrum. These challenges require a test solution capable of validating the performance, functionality, and QoE of both consumer and industrial 5G-related products and services, at scale.
“While 4G was all about the consumer, 5G will be driven by the industrial Internet of Things, such as smart cities, augmented reality, and commercial applications in manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare,” said Sunil Kalidindi, vice president of product management at Ixia. “Ixia has been helping organizations, big and small, test and validate the performance of their networks, devices, and services for two decades. IxLoad LTE XAir2 combines that experience with proven technology, to realistically emulate mobile subscribers at scale, and help clear the path to 5G for our customers.”
Cellular networks evolving towards 5G still need to address the technical challenges posed by 4.5G, or LTE Advanced Pro. Complex scenarios involving features like Carrier Aggregation to increase bandwidth, 4×4 Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO), and 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) for downloads are cornerstones for providing customers a seamless transition and better quality experience. IxLoad LTE XAir2 has been developed with these technical challenges in mind. It facilitates the realistic emulation of massive amounts of subscribers with multi-Gigabit over-the-top (OTT) traffic via the Internet, to help customers’ future proof their networks and devices.
