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K15 Supports Second Generation 2.75G and 3G Mobile Services

28th September, 2004

US : Tektronix, Inc. announced a new version 2.0 software test suite for its successful K15 platform to enable enhanced productivity when testing advanced third-generation (3G) and existing second-generation (2G, 2.5G) mobile services.

The capability to launch new services such as video telephony, video streaming and high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), is key to mobile operators whose success is dependent on ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) growth. In addition, as 3G networks operate with coexisting 2.5G and 2G systems, operators and manufacturers must be able to deploy test strategies that allow them to control the cost of quality of service and increase the effectiveness of operations having a consistent and reliable approach to test procedures through all technologies. The new K15 software release 2.0 will enable network operators and manufacturers to meet these demands.

Additionally, the 2.0 software release is equipped to deliver a new set of advanced test applications for 3G services, including UMTS 3GPP R6, H.324M, HSDPA, Real-Time Iub deciphering together with advanced EDGE monitoring capability. Along with the highest port density per platform in the market, customers are able to more effectively test critical network segments and all mobile standards with the same unit, reducing significantly the costs of operations and improving productivity. With 3G subscriber numbers ramping up, traffic in mobile networks is load shared across multiple physical links, which is why the ability to test at least eight high speed links simultaneously has become a key requirement for test tools in the mobile industry.

"Within the current highly competitive landscape in the mobile market, our customers need robust and innovative test solutions that enable them to anticipate the launch of new services and network elements, reducing significantly the time to revenues in the most effective and reliable way," said Alois Hauk, General Manager, Monitoring & Protocol Test, Tektronix. "With the new K15 2.0 release, designed to allow 3G operators and manufacturers to meet the most demanding operational requirements, Tektronix provides a unique solution to test all the standards and all new services with one platform."

With the K15, Tektronix has brought to market innovative applications such as real time multi-interface call trace and automatic configuration of Iub monitoring parameters. Software release 2.0 for the K15 adds to this innovation with the following enhancements.

UMTS video telephony troubleshooting suite

H.324 is a standard for multimedia communication originally developed for fixed networks. In 3G networks, H.324M is used to support the video communication service which uses a dedicated 64kbps bearer to transmit multiplexed voice, video as well as control and signaling information on the UMTS Iu-CS interface. The K15 now supports the H324.M suite including H.245 and H.223, enabling customers to troubleshoot effectively the UMTS video call service.

HSDPA troubleshooting suite

High Speed Downlink Packet Access (also known as 3.5G technology) is standardized as an element of the 3GPP Rel.5 W-CDMA specification; it provides a two-fold improvement in network capacity and boosts data speed up to five times to over 10Mbps with user speeds of 2Mbps expected to be practically achievable. The K15 now enables troubleshooting for the HSDPA release 5 features in accordance to the 3GPP standard.

EDGE Abis troubleshooting suite

Currently there is considerable overhead setting-up instruments to perform protocol analysis on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE Abis interface to troubleshoot new GERAN multimedia services like the download of video clips. This overhead just to get ready to start troubleshooting causes an unnecessary increase in test time and costs translating in loss of productivity.

The new EDGE Abis troubleshooting suite contains a unique application in the market that guides the technicians in configuring the instrument for Abis monitoring and allows them to reduce overhead time needed for instrument set- up. Once the RSL link on the Abis interface has been identified, the application configures automatically all the necessary logical links containing user data frames, assigns the proper bandwidth to the logical links (16Kbps, 32Kbps, 64Kbps), and assigns the proper protocol stacks. The application supports Siemens EDGE Abis (BR6.0, BR7.0) and Ericsson EDGE Abis (R10, R11) versions.

Protocol decoding on the EDGE Abis interface now supports Siemens (BR6.0, BR7.0), Ericsson (R9, R10, R11), Nokia (v10.5), Nortel (v14), Alcatel (B7, B7.2, B8).

UMTS Iub deciphering application

The "UMTS Iub Deciphering" application consists of expert software capability that can decipher in both real-time and off-line all the ciphered protocol messages traveling on the UMTS Iub interface. All the necessary parameters needed for deciphering can be either collected automatically by the instrument through monitoring the Iu interface (automatic mode) or inserted manually by the user (manual mode). The application is a strong asset in a live ciphered network, where it is not feasible to de-activate ciphering, because this would cut-off existing users and would jeopardize the security/privacy of the transmitted content. Thanks to the application network troubleshooting (monitoring NAS messages on Iub) and network optimization (monitoring RRC messages on Iub) deciphering activities can be accomplished even if ciphering is activated in the network because full access to the content of all protocol messages is guaranteed. The application also enables advance testing in the lab for the potential impact of Iub ciphering/deciphering on network element/network behavior and performance.

Availability

The K15 version 2.0 is available as a new product and as a software upgrade for customers with K15 version 1.0.

About the K15 Protocol Test Platform

Tektronix' K15 protocol test platform and application software support troubleshooting of live and trial 3G, 2.5G, and 2G mobile networks. It is a high-end, portable hardware platform with a suite of advanced software applications. The platform runs on a high-performance cPCI bus architecture that hosts several boards to connect to multiple interfaces including E1/T1/J1 electrical, STM-1 optical, and 10/100 Mbit/s Fast Ethernet. Remote control and NTP/GPS time synchronization between different units are integrated into the platform. Available software applications include decoding for EDGE, UMTS and CDMA2000 protocols; expert software for real-time Multi-Interface Call Trace for EDGE, UMTS and CDMA2000; automatic UMTS Iub monitoring configuration; and offline GPRS network performances analysis.

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