CTIA: Agilent drives drive-testing, optimization

LAS VEGAS--Agilent Technologies launched enhancements to its Wireless Network Optimization Platform and other network- and service-assurance solutions for CDMA this week that raises drive-testing to the service layer and protocol analysis across voice, video and data.

The Agilent platform enables RF engineering teams to optimize and troubleshoot radio access networks and wireless services. Its new features include improved protocol analysis and mapping and a flexible user interface. The drive-test solution now also supports HSDPA and 1xEV-DO measurements.

Other enhancements include view synchronization, protocol analysis views, a combined data and voice call sequencer and improved mapping capabilities. They allow RF engineers to build and share projects and customize measurement views and service test sequences.

“You can’t measure by network element alone,” said Karl Whitelock, lead strategist for OSS in Agilent’s communications solutions group. “You can’t say, ‘If the boxes are OK, the customers are OK.’”

The Wireless Network Optimization Platform incorporates service tests for voice quality, video, multimedia message service, short message service, HTTP, FTP, e-mail and wireless application protocol.

Agilent’s comprehensive network- and service-assurance solution for CDMA, the Agilent acceSS7 for CDMA 2000 enables wireless carriers to perform real-time and historical analysis in order to understand unusual events and trends for all services running across the network. Using the tool, one operator claimed an 80 % reduction in fault resolution time.

“Traditional OSS systems are reactive, but there are ways to be more proactive by evolving test tools,” said Rafael Andrade, CDMA market segment manager for Agilent.

The tool collects data from elements at the edge of the network, at the network core and throughout the network and translates it into business-critical insight. It provides baselines and real-time alarms for novice technicians to easily locate faults and drill into them for further details.

“Before, all the data was contained in the service provider network. Today you can get data from other sources. The only way to make network performance useful is to combine the sources,” Andrade said.