Spirent Enables Prediction and Prevention of Signaling Storm Outages with Comprehensive Diameter Testing

Sunnyvale, Calif. – March 30, 2015 – The use of IP networks for signaling and the move to “always on” Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices is driving huge levels of signaling traffic in the mobile network. Peak events-known as signaling storms-degrade and disrupt network services, and threaten to damage customer experience and carriers’ revenue potential. To help carriers weather the signaling storm, Spirent Communications today introduced Spirent Landslide Diameter, a comprehensive solution that tests signaling protocols at scale so carriers can ensure efficient and optimized Diameter services.

Diameter is Critical for User Experience and Revenue Potential

Diameter is the signaling method used for authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) in fixed broadband, 3G and 4G/LTE networks. Surges or storms, congestion, service degradation, and inter-carrier issues can lead to slow or dropped connections, lost billing data, dissatisfied customers, and in the worst case network wide outages. To eliminate these issues, carriers and their eco-system providers must ensure their Diameter networks are optimized and aligned with the rollouts of new services and connected devices.

Spirent Landslide Optimizes Diameter Signaling Operation

Landslide Diameter lets carriers and their vendors emulate specific Diameter applications to test specific nodes or test the network from end-to-end to ensure that the management and monetization functions operate at extreme scale. The test system can be used to simulate real-world traffic scenarios or call models at scale so carriers can see what happens on a node-by-node basis. The call models can be adapted to test the impact new services and devices will have on the control network. These tests remove the guesswork out of predicting signaling traffic loads so they can adequately and effectively architect their networks. Carriers and vendors worldwide use Spirent Landslide in the design, optimization, monetization, and maintenance of their broadband and mobile network.

Landslide Diameter is a key component of Spirent Landslide, a suite of advanced test tools for mobile networks and services that emulates millions of mobile subscribers simultaneously accessing wireless networks using various mobile devices. With Landslide, carriers can employ a single, integrated platform to fully test and measure network performance—end-to-end—of the entire mobile and Wi-Fi ecosystem. The suite can be used to validate mobile equipment vendor’s claims as well as test and optimize network design while checking the impact of changes made to the underlying network architecture and services.

Executive Quotes

“As more operators deploy LTE, VoLTE, and enhanced IP services the amount of Diameter messages within and between operators is growing. Optimizing the signaling plane has become a necessity,” according to Diane Myers, principal analyst Infonetics, part of IHS Inc (NYSE: IHS). “Solutions such as Spirent’s Landslide Diameter enable operators to ensure efficient and optimized Diameter signaling.”

“Network disruptions, degradation, and outages directly affect a carrier’s service levels and business reputation, and they are a significant influencer on subscriber churn,” said John Baker, general manager, Mobility business unit at Spirent Communications. “Now with Landslide Diameter we’re able to give our customers the operational confidence that their networks will perform as designed even under signaling storm surges, congestion scenarios to eliminate dropped connections and network degradation.”

Additional Resources

eBook: Download eBook titled “Test AAA functions, mobility management, policy & charging controls”