Mu Dynamics Announces First Test Solution for 4G LTE Networks That Uses Real Application Traffic

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mu Dynamics, Inc. (www.mudynamics.com), the leader in validating and testing applications and application-aware networks, today announced the first and only testing solution capable of using real application traffic to quickly determine how mobile users and devices impact 4G LTE networks. For mobile operators and network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) focused on delivering a superior customer experience with new mobile services, Mu Studio for LTE provides unique insight into how applications impact the mobile network from a performance and security standpoint. Mu Dynamics has teamed with Aricent, a global innovation and technology services company with significant expertise in LTE networks, to bring Mu Studio for LTE to market. For more information on this solution, please click here.

"Mu Studio for LTE will enable us to test our mobility solutions under true production conditions by quickly recreating hundreds of popular applications over GTP tunnels, something we've never been able to do before," said Shuhua Ge, senior director of engineering, Juniper Networks. "With over two thousand applications already modeled and provided by Mu, accurately recreating mixes of real application traffic will ensure Juniper's intelligent mobility solutions offer the highest levels of performance and security and help our service provider customers compete more effectively as 4G networks take hold."

In order to compete successfully in what is shaping up to be a crowded market for application-based services, operators have to deliver a superior subscriber experience. To facilitate this goal, almost all elements of 4G networks contain application-aware intelligence. As such, operators need to ensure their policies are effective in guaranteeing the highest level of customer satisfaction.

Until today, no testing solution existed that could determine how the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) would perform in real-world conditions and with rapidly changing application traffic profiles. As such, mobile operators and NEMs have been focused on testing GTP tunnels using synthetic application traffic. While that was the best available solution at the time, in no way does this give an accurate view of how a 4G network will perform under real usage conditions. Now, with Mu Studio for LTE, these organizations can test their networks under true production conditions for the following key use-cases:

• Application Detection: To verify systems accurately detect and control specific applications and security attacks on the 4G LTE network.
• Billing and Charging: To ensure that billing and charging functions are accurately operating based on specific applications and users.
• Application QoS: To ensure that application-specific Quality of Service (QoS) policies such as rate limiting, prioritization, Maximum Bit Rate (MBR), Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) are functioning correctly under production loads.
• Scalability: To validate that the 4G LTE architecture can scale to the expected levels of users with acceptable performance.
• Resiliency: To ensure that the 4G LTE architecture can efficiently manage unexpected application traffic inputs.

"The combination of Mu Dynamics' unique technology with Aricent's award winning LTE software creates a powerful solution for evaluating the performance and security impact of application traffic on LTE networks," said Shrikant Latkar, assistant vice president, global products and solutions marketing for Aricent. "By doing so, Mu Dynamics and Aricent have enabled a new approach that will benefit not only operators and NEMs, but ultimately end users as well."

"Most network testing solutions focus on the tunnels that deliver traffic, versus the applications running over them. The LTE environment however is much more application-aware, allowing operators to monetize new services based on applications," said Olga Yashkova, industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan. "As such, Mu Studio for LTE is tailor-made for service providers and vendors focused on serving mobile customers."

"As we continue to see an explosion of applications across 4G LTE networks, it becomes more and more critical to test those networks not only for traffic volume, but also for how the network is impacted by the specific applications themselves," said Dave Kresse, chief executive officer, Mu Dynamics. "Only Mu Studio for LTE, with its integrated store of thousands of ready-to-run application tests, enables mobile operators to test how these applications will impact their 4G LTE networks, ensuring that their subscribers experience superior network performance and security."

Mu Studio for LTE is available now. For more information, visit http://www.mudynamics.com.

About Mu Dynamics:

Mu Dynamics is the leading provider of testing solutions ensuring the performance and security of both applications and network infrastructure. The company's  innovative solutions enable customers to confidently meet the challenges posed by today's rapidly changing networks. This includes the ever-growing number of applications and devices on the network, and the swift transition to mobile, virtual and cloud environments. Hundreds of service providers, enterprises, application developers and network equipment manufacturers count on its  purpose-built testing solutions, like Mu Studio, to ensure their applications and networks are scalable and secure. Mu Dynamics is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

SOURCE Mu Dynamics, Inc.