Service assurance firm, Netscout has announced the availability of service assurance visibility for IP multicast video over 4G/LTE mobile networks using enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (eMBMS).
Netscout's nGeniusONE Service Assurance Platform and Adaptive Service Intelligence (ASI) technology offers a dedicated service monitor for eMBMS services that enables mobile network operators to proactively monitor and quickly triage service issues on what has become the industry’s leading method of efficient live video delivery over mobile IP networks.
eMBMS allows mobile service providers to control the distribution of multimedia content to targeted audience areas. Operators have leveraged eMBMS in a number of applications ranging from venue specific broadcast, for example, within a stadium or arena for providing rich media with multiple camera angles, replays, and related statistics, to regional broadcasts of home team games and local news, to nationwide broadcast of news and major events like the NFL’s Super Bowl, the World Cup or the Olympic Games.
eMBMS leverages the LTE network to provide an efficient and cost effective solution for mobile network operators to deliver common multimedia content over the existing infrastructure with a flexible sharing of unicast and multicast streams. With the introduction of eMBMS, operators are faced with new challenges associated with next-generation adaptive bit rate (ABR) video distribution that allows for further optimization of resources and bandwidth based on the capabilities of the end-user device.
Elisabeth Rainge, VP, Communications Service Provider Operations, IDC
Mobile subscribers are increasingly using video to watch content and communicate. Mobile network operators need to provide high-quality viewing experiences and eliminate potential challenges with service quality and delivery, making network performance a mission critical priority for customer satisfaction.
Bruce Kelley Jr., SVP and CTO, NETSCOUT
Service can be impacted at any of a number of key nodes as the video stream traverses the network, encoding platforms and distribution methods. Issues in any one of these key areas can adversely impact the quality of service experienced by the subscriber.
