Tektronix Communications Enables Smooth Transition to Next-Gen Networks

PLANO, Texas, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix Communications, the leading provider of customer experience, network test and service assurance solutions, today announced that the Company is helping operators make the transition to next generation networks with the newly enhanced, award-winning Spectra2 core network test solution. As operators upgrade their network technologies to LTE, IMS and IP to meet the needs of today's data-hungry consumers, they must continue to ensure the end-to-end quality of network and services. To do so, equipment manufacturers and operators need to fully characterize and test their networks, subsystems and new network elements to ensure that they are operating properly and within specification under loaded conditions that simulate real-world traffic.

"As operators transition from legacy TDM to all-IP networks, innovative solutions are required that can bridge both legacy and next-generation technology domains to ensure a smooth transition for the operator and their customers," said Chris Buhlmann, Vice President and General Manager, Core Test Business, Tektronix Communications. "With overall improved performance, new hardware modules, flexible chassis options, and as the only integrated solution on the market that can test IMS, NGN, VoIP and legacy PSTN technologies, Spectra2 V8.0 meets the needs of the market for the next wave of application and media growth in the connected world."

With hundreds of users around the world, release 8.0 for the Spectra2 will provide equipment manufacturers and network operators with exceptional performance with the required flexibility to fully characterize and test their legacy and next-generation network elements and sub-systems. This is especially important today given the increasing complexity and functionality of network components that are being designed for use in multi-vendor and multi-protocol environments, hence accelerating the need for a high-performance functional and load test system that allows engineers to more accurately test and optimize their components under real-world conditions before they move to production, where errors are considerably more expensive to fix.

Key highlights in the Spectra2 8.0 release include:

• NEW High Performance 3U Chassis: The Spectra2 3U is a high performance chassis geared towards multi-user, multi-workspace functional and load test environments, with two hexacore processors and a native 64-bit operating environment for improved performance across legacy and next-generation protocols and technologies. With the V8.0 release, Spectra2 3U delivers breakthrough performance in calls per second (CPS) and the number of open calls. For example, Spectra2 3U can achieve a signaling load of 100 thousand CPS for Diameter or 10 million open calls for ISUP.
• NEW Test Extension Module for Field Portability: This new addition for the Spectra2|SE product provides the world's only high performance portable TDM to IP test solution for field testing, with unmatched performance and portability for technicians on the move, providing best-in-class troubleshooting, installation and turn-up capabilities.
• NEW Productivity Features: Version 8.0 introduces several new features that greatly increase end-user productivity and accuracy.
  • Auto-scripting – allows users to reproduce SIP production environments accurately and in a fraction of the time as opposed to building them using traditional approaches.
  • Raw media injection – improves overall media test accuracy by using real-world media captured in the production environment. This allows for more accurate testing and debugging leading to an overall improved QoS.

"As network data continues to explode, network components are becoming functionally more complex, and having to operate in environments that involve multiple technologies, vendors and standards. Because of this, niche solutions are quickly becoming obsolete," said Olga Yashkova, test and measurement practice manager at Frost & Sullivan. "Test and design engineers responsible for deploying new elements in today's environments, require load test solutions such as the Spectra2 8.0 release that can cover the breadth of legacy and next-generation technologies required, in addition to offering both high-performance and flexibility from a single vendor in order to design, test and deploy network elements faster and more efficiently than in the past."

For additional information on Spectra2, please visit www.tekcomms.com/spectra2.

About Spectra2|SE2 This software only test solution provides high capacity IP signaling and media testing in the field. This laptop-based functional, load, and monitoring solution enables cross domain IP testing with media. Call scenarios from the field can be captured and imported directly to a Spectra2 server in the lab. This approach integrates field experience into the lab to avoid getting burned by the same problem twice.

About Tektronix Communications

Tektronix Communications provides communication service providers and equipment manufacturers around the world an unparalleled suite of customer experience, assurance and test solutions for fixed, mobile and converged multi-service networks. This comprehensive set of solutions and services support a range of architectures and applications such as LTE, HSPA, 3G, IMS, mobile broadband, VoIP and triple play. Tektronix Communications is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

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SOURCE Tektronix Communications