NetScout is extending its geoanalytics platform’s reach by tying into Huawei’s Operational Support Systems. NetScout now has OSS interoperability agreements with Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia and says it is the first end-to-end service assurance provider to have that level of integration and “full-license data sources for the radio access network.”
The OSS interoperability agreements stem from the OSS Interoperability Initiative, started in 2013 by those three telecom infrastructure vendors, to enable easier integration across different vendors’ OSS systems and faster time-to-market. NetScout’s TrueCall geoanalytics platform (a product of the former Newfield Wireless, which was part of NetScout’s major Danaher Communications acquisition) offers monitoring and visualization of radio access network statistics and the subscriber experience, such as the impact of introducing a new Voice over LTE-enabled device to the network.
–Keysight Technologies and reverberation chamber company Bluetest are partnering to provide over-the-air testing solutions. Keysight’s E7515A UXM wireless test set, which supports LTE-Advanced, five-component carrier aggregation and 8×4 downlink MIMO, has been integrated with Bluetest’s latest reverberation chamber, the RTS65, and Bluetest’s Flow measurement software.
Unlike an anechoic chamber, which dampens all radio wave reflections, a reverberation chamber allows complex reflections which are intended to simulate a more realistic radio environment for testing.
–Anritsu and TRX Systems launched a joint indoor testing solution this week that integrates Anritsu’s handheld analyzers with 3DÂ indoor mapping and location information, presenting maps with color-coded signal grades that 2D or 3D views of the environment. The new TRX Neon Signal Mapper canbe configured with any of Anritsu’s handheld instruments that have a spectrum analyzer, including its Spectrum Master, Site Master, BTS Master and Cell Master analyzers. The solution also provides cloud-based access to the data.
–Ixia has lowered its quarterly results guidance, with revenues now expected to end up between $108-$111 million for the first quarter and not the $121-$126 million that it had projected. CEO Bethany Mayer said in a statement that the numbers were “primarily impacted by an unexpected and marked slowdown in network test spending from our North America network equipment manufacturer customers in March, and we continued to experience delays in closing network visibility deals.”
Ixia will release full results on May 3. Its stock was down about 18% in Friday trading as investors reacted to the pullback on quarterly revenue.
–TechNavio expects the global test and measurement market to grow with a compound annual growth rate of 6% between this year and 2020, driven by research and development for 5G technologies and the “Internet of Things.”
“Growth in wireless technologies will mark this market’s development over the next four years,” said Anju Ajaykumar, lead analyst for heavy industry with Technavio Research, in a statement.  “The popularity of wireless networks is rapidly increasing due to the advent of smart devices like smartphones, smart watches, and iPads. Since wireless networks make use of components like base units, antennae, radio, and cables, the growing need to test these components for efficiency and quality will result in market growth during the estimated period.”
-Cybersecurity company DarkMatter has opened a new research and development facility in Toronto and is looking to hire experts across all areas of networking, including mobile and IoT as it develops secure communications. The company provides, among other services, security assurance testing for devices, networks, software and applications.
–Spirent Communications launched a new test solution for the connected car market, which creates realistic background noise, RF interference and other electromagnetic interference to put Ethernet BroadR-Reach systems into challenging environments to ensure resiliance. The AING-5000 comes with a pre-set package of real world baseline interference events, and users can create specific interference as well.
-Vehicle telematics and embedded system company Danlaw has acquired automotive testing company Rapita for an undisclosed sum. Rapita provides real-time verification testing for aerospace and automotive embedded systems.
-Network visibility company Vasona Networks recently raised a $14.6 million Series C round of venture funding, bringing its total venture capital raised to $48 million. The company’s solutions for edge intelligence and resource management for capacity have been adopted by several tier one operators, including use by O2 in London.
–GL Communications has added new features to its T1/E1 emulation and analyzer solutions, including improved scalability for bulk call generation and an increased maximum error insertion rate for logic errors.
–Tektronix has been selected by the NBC’s Olympics division as the audio/video test equipment provider for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
