With voice over LTE is expected to be rolled out soon and gain momentum in networks through 2016, testing will be critical to its success, according to a new report by Heavy Reading.
Experts across the ecosystem agree that the quality of VoLTE must be equal to or greater than the expectations consumers have, based on their experience with 2G and 3G circuit-switched voice.
Verizon Wireless said last year that it expected VoLTE to be network-ready by the end of 2013 and that it expected roll-out to happen in late 2013 or early 2014. AT&T has given a 2014 time frame, and in October said that a VoLTE-capable device might be in its lineup by the holidays; but that doesn’t appear to have materialized, or at least not officially.
“Mobile networks with high demand from heavy users are looking to solidly embrace VoLTE technology,” said Denise Culver, research analyst with Heavy Reading Insider, who authored the report on VoLTE testing. “Demand is mainly being driven by customer requirement for both voice and data and the operator’s ability to provide this with LTE services.
“The increasing capacity requirement on the management layer, plus the addition of applications, means [quality of service] optimization for VoLTE is a two-dimensional challenge in which both layers need attention,” she said. “As mobile carriers continue to build out their VoLTE network, the importance of testing each level of those networks to ensure the highest level of quality will become a valuable instrument in distinguishing themselves in the competitive marketplace.”
Some of the report’s key findings included the fact that voice and SMS still account for about 70% of all global wireless revenues, and that VoLTE has become a “medium-term ambition” for many operators, since they are still deploying IMS within their networks. ABI Research reported this week that IMS deployments are increasing in preparation for 2014 VoLTE launches and that spending on the necessary infrastructure is expected to reach $4 billion by 2017.
–Testing company Anite has introduced a new portable walk-test product, extending its Nemo line of network test equipment with the Nemo Walker Air for indoor network testing and benchmarking. The solution has an optional backpack that can contain the entire system, as pictured below; the backpack contains a USB battery pack, so that Nemo Walker Air can be used without an external power source.
Nemo Walker Air has a master tablet that controls up to six slave units via Bluetooth, and enables users to take synchronized measurements.
Anite also recently verified LTE Cat 4 maximum data throughputs in a live network, with average peak throughputs as high as 144 megabits per second recorded in Nordic operator TeliaSonera’s commercial LTE network using Anite’s Nemo Outdoor test platform. The testing was performed with a Cat 4 LTE test terminal Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and similar performance was achieved with a HiSilicon-based Huawei E3276 modem, Anite said.
The test was performed by downloading data using the FTP protocol within TeliaSonera’s LTE core network, according to Anite – that type of testing, the company said, “eliminates problems and bottlenecks caused by factors coming from outside the LTE network and enables the verification of high peak throughputs.” Anite noted that its engineers have recorded peak data throughput as high as 148 Mbps in the lab under ideal RF and core network conditions.
“There has been some debate whether LTE Cat 4 maximum data throughput rates can actually be measured with existing wireless network testing systems due to limitations in the user equipment processing power. While testing LTE Cat 4 commercial phones and modems in the field, we have achieved excellent peak data rates using FTP downloads. This clearly demonstrates that maximum peak data rates can be reached and there are no CPU performance limitations in Nemo tools,” said Kai Ojala, CTO of Anite’s network testing business.
