Ixia adds VoLTE and VoIP test capabilities

Ixia has introduced a test application to its IxLoad solution to measure voice quality from the radio network through the core network. The application is intended to enable operators to compare voice quality of over-the-top (OTT) service to operator-provided voice services by measuring the mean opinion score (MOS) of voice quality before going live. Additionally, Ixia’s new application tests the functionality, scalability and resiliency of LTE infrastructure components and new IMS networks that support VoLTE-based services.

Ixia’s IxLoad is a unified test solution for testing all aspects of wireless networks, including LTE base stations, core network components and the IMS subsystem. IxLoad supports a broad set of test applications measuring the scalability and capacity of data applications, the quality of rich media services, and the evaluation of security vulnerabilities.

“Mobile VoIP subscribers (Over the Top) growth is predicted to be 386M in 2015, led by Skype and GTalk Mobile, but generating little revenue. Now operators must compete to preserve their $500 billion per year in global business under attack,” said Stéphane Téral, principal analyst at Infonetics Research. “VoLTE is the solution that allows operators to offer a differentiated solution. This important demonstration shows that Ixia can test VoLTE implementations so operators can go to market with confidence.”

“The demand for high-definition voice and other media-rich features is growing with the number of mobile users and devices accessing the Internet. Operators must be sure that their new LTE networks can deliver high quality voice services,” said Joe Zeto, senior manger, market development at Ixia. “Ixia’s new VoLTE test application allows operators to validate their networks under realistic conditions.”

Ixia fact sheet:

  • IxLoad measures voice quality by a mean opinion score (MOS) using E-model and perceptual estimation of speech quality (PESQ) algorithms
  • IxLoad’s high RTP performance supports more than one million concurrent calls with media per chassis
  • IxLoad measures control plane and media latency which can be used to understand call setup latency

 

VoLTE features include:

  • Support of the GSMA IR.92 specification
  • Emulation of SIP endpoints to initiate and receive voice calls and SMS texts over eGTP
  • Emulation of the IMS network (P-CSCF & MGW)
  • AMR and AMR-WB codecs
  • AKAv1 & AKAv2 authentication
  • Default and dedicated bearers