Agilent Playing Key Role in Most Comprehensive Test to Date of Evolved Packet Core Infrastructure for LTE Mobile Networks
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 22, 2010 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced it is monitoring, analyzing and reporting on the interoperability testing of LTE/SAE network devices at test trials sponsored by the MultiService Forum (MSF) now through March 26. The trials are being hosted by the Vodafone Test and Innovation Center in Dusseldorf, Germany, and China Mobile in Beijing.
The trials focus on the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) infrastructure to assure mobile operators that EPC will provide a solid foundation for tomorrow's networks. The world's major network equipment manufacturers are participating in the trials, the most complete testing of the EPC to date. Agilent was the only test vendor invited to support the event.
Agilent is helping to define and provide comprehensive protocol analysis for test scenarios based on MSF's Release 5 architecture, including LTE access to the EPC, roaming, backward compatibility with non-LTE EPC access (e.g., GERAN/UTRAN), handover/relocation and access to the IMS core network. The company will use its industry-leading Signal Analyzer Real Time (SART) for LTE, which was designed to analyze an LTE-enabled tenfold increase in network traffic without sacrificing real-time-to-results. SART's access to air-interface data sources permits industry-unique end-to-end call trace across both LTE and non-LTE network components, eliminating the multiple iterations of testing required when using individual point solutions.
"Operators such as China Mobile and Vodafone require extensive interoperability between vendors to accelerate the evolution towards LTE," said David Francisco, MultiService Forum board member. "The Global MSF Interoperability event in Dusseldorf and Beijing represents an important landmark in the standards-based evolution to LTE, especially in the evolved packet core."
