Spirent Commmunications announced that it has been selected by a tier-one U.S. mobile operator to support nationwide 5G assurance efforts.
The operator will deploy Spirent VisionWorks for active assurance, initially testing end-to-end performance across its Non-standalone (NSA) 5G network. The deployment is underway in more than two dozen 5G markets, with plans to expand to hundreds more over time and to support the roll out of Standalone 5G beginning next year.
Initial 5G deployment strategies see operators layering 5G NSA on top of expansive 4G networks before moving to Standalone 5G networks. As operators evolve from 4G to NSA 5G and eventually Standalone 5G, they acquire expansive new network slicing capabilities, which create new challenges for how quality is assured. Operators are also challenged with 5G’s comparatively compressed rollout timelines and the unending waterfall of new technologies and standards to track and implement. With heightened focus on performance and extreme complexity, a solution that can rapidly identify and resolve trouble issues is imperative.
In early 5G deployments, VisionWorks has been proven to assure performance and quickly resolve complex end-to-end issues, claims Spirent. It performs active testing from outside the network and inside the network all the way to the core, while monitoring end-to-end services.
Doug Roberts, GM of Lifecycle Service Assurance, Spirent
For the first time, we’re seeing operators deploy service assurance alongside the earliest stages of their next-gen network rollouts. Our customers have recognized that delivering on early performance expectations is absolutely paramount to the development of sustainable 5G revenue streams.
