Spirent Enables Tier 1 Operators to Rapidly On-Board and Proactively Assure Critical Virtual and IoT Services

Barcelona, Spain, February 28, 2017 – Spirent Communications, a leading provider of lifecycle service assurance solutions, today announced that Spirent VisionWorks™ solutions have been deployed by two tier 1 North American mobile network operators. The Spirent VisionWorks active assurance solutions were deployed to address critical challenges stemming from the roll out of cutting edge virtual and business mobile services. In the first deployment, the Spirent VisionWorks solution is accelerating service on-boarding by automating turn-up verification of virtualized LTE Enhanced Packet Core (EPC) functions. In the second deployment, the Spirent VisionWorks solution is monitoring the quality of business-critical mobile services that terminate in enterprise customers’ cloud networks with a focus on IoT use cases.

New virtual network functions (VNFs) for the EPC must be validated prior to supporting live customer traffic. The Spirent VisionWorks solution automatically performs a series of validation tests each time a new VNF is deployed in the production network. If the tests are successful, the VNF begins carrying live customer traffic. If the tests fail, the orchestrator is notified and the VNF is terminated. Once the VNF is operational, it is periodically tested by a Spirent virtual test agent (VTA) to ensure the quality of service. Testing can also be performed on-demand for applications such as validation of VNF upgrades.

Validating service level agreements (SLAs) for business-critical mobile applications is challenging as traffic from IoT devices often terminates outside of the operator’s network (e.g. logistics or financial services using mobile private networks to connect to LTE-enabled point of sale terminals). The Spirent VisionWorks solution periodically tests each of the business mobile services from the edge of the network to the enterprise cloud server where the service terminates. Using active intelligence the Spirent VisionWorks solution automatically benchmarks service quality levels and alerts the operator to any deviations from established benchmarks.

“As providers deploy virtual and IoT networks, they need to rapidly on-board new services, reduce operational costs and deliver a differentiated QoE,” said David Stehlin, general manager of the Lifecycle Service Assurance business segment at Spirent. “Spirent VisionWorks solutions deliver on these critical needs by automating lab and production network testing, and integrating proactive service quality assurance in physical, virtual and hybrid networks.”

The Spirent VisionWorks product suite consists of analytics, test orchestration, virtual test agent and physical test probe products. Spirent VisionWorks products may be combined to form solutions that address testing and assurance challenges across the network and service lifecycle. For more information on how Spirent VisionWorks solutions enable providers to rapidly on-board new services, benchmark service quality levels and resolve customer-impacting issues, please come by our booth at MWC 2017 (Hall 6, 6J37) or visit our website.