LTE field testing:

New challenges
with noise-limited
LTE macro and
small cell networks
By Kelly Hill

SEPTEMBER 2013

Sponsored by:

Featured Analyst:

FEATURE REPORT

LTE networks are seeing explosive

involved in the deployment of eight LTE

growth around the world. As carriers in

networks globally, and three in the United

the United States and abroad seek to deal

States. He describes three typical phases of

with monumental data demands on their

field testing for LTE network deployment.

networks, those networks are also becom-

The first phase of testing comes in once

ing increasingly heterogeneous no longer

contractors have built the cellular site.

limited to macro sites, but also integrating

Those tests typically cover basic cell func-

Wi-Fi for offload and small cell coverage

tionality and often run over a wireless phone

for targeted capacity.

with an application installed something as

So how do vendors and operators ensure

simple as a speed test for uplink and down-

that the new networks function in ways

link speeds, and searching for passive inter-

that meet customer expectations for speed

modulation, or PIM, which is interference

and experience?

caused by passive elements either in the

Source: GSA

The short answer: Testing, testing and

more testing. Testing in both traditional
and new ways; pre-launch and post-deployment; in ways that address the quirks
of LTE and the legacy networks with which
it must co-exist; and taking the opportu-

Alan Hadden, President, GSA

physical network equipment or connectors,

or external PIM beyond the cell site.
Andy Standen, product manager for
Anritsu,

said

that

operators

dif-fer

across countries and within countries as to

the type of testing and thorough-ness of

nity to explore and analyze a mountain

that testing. Some operators do testing

of new data from the network that offers

themselves,

some

rely

on

subcon-

more insight on operations, troubleshoot-

although LTE is usually marketed for its

tractors, and some pass all testing onto

ing and the customer experience.

speed, the benefits to the bottom line are

third parties while the operator focuses

what carriers are after.

on providing service.

According to the most recent update

from the Global Mobile Suppliers Asso-

The emphasis on LTE, despite the nice

For a new build, once a tower has been

ciation, there are now 204 commercial

idea that every user is going to get a great

constructed, Standen said, testing first in-

LTE networks in 77 countries, with the

big pipe, is about saving money, said Brock

volves checking cables, antenna systems

most recent launches coming in late Au-

Butler, marketing manager for test com-

and remote radio heads.

gust from O2 and Vodafone in the United

pany Spirent Communications. Its about

They dont have a lot of the technical

Kingdom. The GSA expects to see 260

serving customers more efficiently, so that

background to test everything, but when

commercial networks in 93 countries by

operators can serve them cheaper.

they leave, they want to make sure they

built it properly so they dont have to go

the end of this year, and more than 1,000

LTE devices are already on the market

The testing process: when, where, how

back, Rader said.

Testing of the network takes place in three

The second phase involves further testing

Alan Hadden, president of the GSA, has

phases: in the lab prior to deployment; in

of LTE or call functionality for individual

called LTE the fastest developing mobile

the field during trials and the deployment

sites, which are not optimized at this stage,

system technology ever.

process; and field testing for troubleshoot-

Rader said. This usually involves an engi-

ing and maintenance purposes.

neer driving to the site location and check-

from 111 manufacturers.

But the speed with which the technology

is being adopted itself creates new chal-

Nathan Rader, national technical manager

ing to see that antennas are tilted correctly

lenges for testing and deployment. And

for Nokia Solutions and Networks, has been

and covering the right area, that sectors

Cover photo: Source: iStockphoto.

FEATURE REPORT

are not crossed, and that general coverage

operator has selected a market for an LTE

They do want to know what kind of data

is as expected.

trial, the initial network that can only be

throughputs theyre getting in different

The third stage typically involves a clus-

accessed by particular SIM cards for test-

parts of cell deployments, what is the

ter of about 20 sites built next to one anoth-

ing purposes. He said that Spirent often

voice quality, what if I offer services like

er, where the RF team drives around the

helps select sites, as well as helping opera-

VoLTE? Butler said.

cluster for optimization purposes, making

tors figure out exactly what use cases they

sure that the entire cluster performs well

need to test.

Network contractors, infrastructure vendors, device vendors and the carriers them-

Theres basic interoperability that hap-

selves often are all involved in the testing.

Butler of Spirent which focuses on pre-

pens, like setting up a call but theyre

All of these things are happening in con-

deployment testing added that when an

also testing around user experience.

junction, everybody collaborating. Its not

Source: GSA

and examining handoffs and performance.

LTE deployments are gaining steam around the world.

FEATURE REPORT

happening in isolation, said Syed Zaidi,

senior director for solution architecture
for Goodman Networks, which is one of the
companies that handles site acquisition,
construction, integration and maintenance
for major wireless network rollouts.
LTE is being constructed as an overlay,
rather than a converged radio access network in most cases, according to Jean
Jones, director of marketing for professional services at Alcatel-Lucent, which
has been involved with more than 40 LTE
deployments around the world.
The overlay strategy, with a separate,
end-to-end LTE network rather than 2G,
3G and LTE equipment in a converged base
station, is a faster installation, and also
provides better reliability and the ability
to more easily turn down legacy networks
in the future in order to re-use spectrum,
Jones said.
Major features and factors in LTE field testing
LTE offers faster network speeds and
better efficiency through a number of features and its all-IP nature means a flatter
network architecture.
But one common, recurring theme was
voiced by network experts: LTE is adding
complexity to networks in multiple ways,
and this is the biggest challenge in testing.
The core architecture is changing to all-IP;
LTE currently provides data-only service

Source: Anritsu

while voice is still routed over 3G networks;

Network testing involves a number of steps, and is generally a collaborative effort between carriers, vendors
and testing companies.

there are changes in the RAN architecture.

While features such as self-organizing networks are designed to make the network
more automated, designing and integrating
SON so that it works properly is a complex

FEATURE REPORT

process. And all the while, the devices that

Of course, subscribers arent the ones who

run on the network are getting more intel-

make those decisions; the details of connec-

ligent and complicated, and demand more

tivity and handovers have to be hammered

I think the industry absolutely will get

communication with the network to service

out in design and testing of both the net-

to everything theyve laid out, said Cosen-

ever-changing applications and services.

work and the devices that will run on it.

tino. But the question is, how much com-

Characterization is becoming extremely

Meanwhile, industry standards body

complex, and youre faced with thousands

3GPP

rolls

on

with

LTE-Advanced

of individual operational gain settings,

releases that promise ever more features

to improve speed, flexibility and efficiency,

such as carrier aggregation.

plexity do you face in getting there?

Here are some of the factors playing into
the complexity of LTE testing:

said Phyllis Cosentino, senior product marketing manager for National Instruments.
When youre deploying these networks,
its different. Its more complex, said Fran
Tang, senior manager of product life management for Tektronix Communications.
There are a lot of features built into the
LTE network that can cause you to trip up.
It doesnt optimize the same way, it doesnt
fail-over the same way.
Tang added that when she first pondered
the interactions between 3G and 4G in regards to voice services, she thought, How
bad could it be? Until I saw the actual call
flows of the voice call, how many network
entities it touches. Wow, that is complex.
Syed Zaidi, senior director for solution
architecture for Goodman Networks, laid
out this scenario: an operator has its 2G
network deployed in 800 MHz, 3G for voice
and data in 1.9 GHz, plus data-only LTE in
700 MHz: a multi-band, multi-technology
network such as that of Verizon Wireless.
Then you have layers of the macro netSource: Corning

work: picocell, microcell, femtocell, Zaidi

added. So just imagine how complex this
network is. If youre a subscriber, where
should you log on? Should you log onto
LTE? Onto 800, 700? Onto 2G, 3G; a microcell, femtocell or picocell? Its a very
complicated question to answer.

LTE deployments will include a number of new technologies that could re-write our
understanding of a cellular network.

Field Wireless Solutions

The Most Trusted

Instruments in the Field

BTS Master MT8220T

Anritsu Base Station Solutions

2013 Anritsu Company

When LTE networks need ne-tuning, dont settle for less.

Anritsu base station solutions are the best choice when you
need to provide optimal LTE network performance.
Our rst-class LTE tools and solutions can help you
accurately test and verify installation and commissioning
of base stations and cell sites, and perform ongoing
maintenance and troubleshooting. Meet your KPIs.
Save time. Save money. Only with Anritsu.
Visit us at: www.goanritsu.com/rcrFW1 to download our
FREE Practical eNodeB Transmitter Measurements for

LTE and TD-LTE Systems Using MIMO Application Note

USA/Canada 1-800-ANRITSU Europe 44 1582-433433

Japan 81 (46) 296-1208 Asia-Pacific (852) 2301-4980
South America 55 (11) 3283-2511

Designed and
Manufactured
in U.S.A.

FEATURE REPORT

Interoperability: One of the challenges

noted by multiple experts across the ecosystem is the reality that while all vendors are
guided by the 3GPP standard for LTE, there

then they start playing really well, so that

uses higher order modulation, so its more

future deployments become much faster.

susceptible to interference, said Zaidi of

Noise: LTE networks are particularly

sensitive to noise, or interference.

Goodman Networks.
Financial aspects play in as well.

are slight but meaningful differences in the

A level of noise that might not have

MIMO is a big challenge for service pro-

implementation of the standard that have

been trouble in 2G or 3G becomes very

viders and test equipment vendors, said

big effects on interoperability in multi-ven-

serious for LTE, said Paul Denisowski

Olga Yashkova-Shapiro, program manager

dor networks which are most networks.

of test company Rohde & Schwarz. This

for Frost & Sullivans test and measure-

When were making sure a market is

requires more interference hunting, more

ment practice. In theory, one needs two

going to be operationally ready for LTE,

drive testing, and typically looking for

receivers in the test equipment to be able

turning up a new market, the biggest chal-

much lower levels than the things theyre

to decode the MIMO properly. However, if

lenge is making sure all the components

used to seeing.

two receivers are added to test equipment,

are integrated, said Jason Miller, product

Rader said that although LTE networks

its price goes up exponentially. With all the

marketing manager for service assurance

are particularly sensitive to noise, one

emphasis to cut costs by SPs, such an ap-

at Empirix.

thing working in carriers favor in the Unit-

proach simply would not work.

That concern for interoperability involves

ed States is that in the case of 700 MHz

network elements from the RAN to the net-

deployments from carriers such as AT&T

work core, both wired and wireless connec-

Mobility and Verizon Wireless, the bands

tions, in order to ensure that a network can

have very little interference.

Andy Standen of Anritsu added more detail on that difficulty.

From a test equipment standpoint,
thats a real challenge for us, because

properly function and that elements can

The nice thing about LTE is, in most

those transmitters in LTE are on the ex-

communicate with one another regardless

cases, its being deployed in bands that are

act same frequency, they use the same

of vendor.

not very populated yet, Rader said. He

technology to increase the throughput,

Anil Jha, head of wireless professional

said that factor as well as LTE still being

Standen said. That looks like interfer-

services for the Americas for Alcatel-Lu-

in early stages is making noise less chal-

ence to basic test equipment. He said that

cent, said that in recognition of the reality

lenging at this point.

adding another receiver on a spectrum

of multi-vendor networks, they do signifi-

MIMO: Multiple-input, multiple-output

analyzer would increase the cost beyond

cant testing up front in order to work as

antennas. For now, most use of MIMO

what most customers would be willing to

many kinks out as possible before equip-

(which requires MIMO antennas on both

pay, so Anritsu developed a method to de-

ment hits the field. Jha said that after

the tower and in the user equipment) is

code MIMO quality, which can be expand-

working on multiple deployments, that

2x2, with two antennas on each.

ed to 4x4 MIMO as the technology devel-

process becomes easier.

MIMO is eventually expected to move to

ops however, he added that demand for

Everybody follows 3GPP standards, but

4x4 (four antennas on the tower and in the

the ability to test 4x4 or even 8x8 MIMO

the standards are what they are at best,

device) and in theory can be evolved to 8x8,

hasnt yet surfaced.

a guideline, Jha said. To test the strength

although there are major hurdles in device

Use of remote radio heads: In traditional

and the challenge that you can plug and

design that would have to be addressed for

cellular systems, equipment was housed

play anything, you have to make sure that

that to happen, with the limited available

at the bottom of a tower, with antennas

theyre really plug-and-play.

real estate. But even this initial jump to

perched high above on the tower.

Testing is hard and complex; the task is a

2x2 is complicating the testing.

challenge, Jha added. You have to check out

Cell edge performance is an issue thats

the kinks, and by the second or third version,

heightened in LTE with MIMO, because it

However, operators have increasingly

been

choosing

remote

radio

head

installations because they are quicker to

FEATURE REPORT

However, Scott Semone of Verizon Wireless MTS - RF maintenance and engineer-

Source: Commscope

an all-IP, Ethernet environment.

ing group told RCR Wireless News at the

Time to market: Alcatel-Lucents Jones

DAS in Action event in New Orleans this

said that they are seeing some very con-

past spring that even at very low power,

crete, bottom-line benefits for customers

remote radio heads can generate enough

who adopt LTE quickly.

noise to cripple an LTE network.

Remote radio heads are becoming increasingly

common in LTE deployments.

copper or T1 lines to fiber; and from ATM to

However, new and more complicated

While operators like Verizon Wireless re-

testing must be done in order to make sure

quire the use of pre-tested equipment that

that not only do the LTE networks function

meets strict PIM requirements, Semone

as expected, but that the devices on those

told conference goers that good craftsman-

networks provide a positive experience and

ship in installation has a huge influence.

dont harm network operations. In short:

He warned against, for example, hand-

more complicated testing on more compli-

tightening connectors rather than using

cated networks and more complicated de-

torque wrenches, because both over-tight-

vices, while trying to compress the timeline

ened and loose equipment generates PIM;

for testing.

and noted that testing all components for

We really did, as we started deploying

PIM and return loss separately and also as

with operators, feel the pressure ourselves

a system is a key process.

to get the network out as soon as possible,

Andy Standen of Anritsu noted that despite pre-testing for equipment, You can

said Heather Broughton, senior manager of

marketing content for TekComms.

achieve very good specs in the product in

I think time to market is really driving a

production. But once you install the system,

lot of our sales, said National Instruments

deploy a key factor with LTE, where time

if you install it badly or not as well as you

Cosentino. Id say that time to market and

to market is crucial for reaping the benefits

could install it, the specs on each of the com-

simplification are really whats driving the

of network investment.

ponents can basically go out the window.

growing business in this area.

There are mixed views on RRHs. RRHs

New connections: One seemingly minor

Devices: As the GSA noted, more than

offer operators faster and more conve-

physical change in the network elements is

1,000 LTE devices now exist from more

nient deployment, there is typically a

that while traditional cell sites have had a

than a hundred manufacturers.

shorter feeder cable from the radio to the

coaxial link between the radio and anten-

The fact is that LTE, in several ways, has

antenna in order to minimize power loss

nas. Part of the RRH installation issue often

enabled a significant, new class of devices,

compared to traditional systems where

means that new cell sites have fiber extend-

and those devices are influencing the user ex-

the radio equipment is on the ground,

ing between the radio and the antenna.

perience as much or more than the network

usually in a weatherproof shed. RRH are

For cell technicians, this is a totally new

itself, said Amit Malhotra, VP of marketing

exposed to the elements, which makes re-

component for them, said Eduardo Inzun-

and product manager for Azimuth Systems.

liability a bigger issue. Brian Buesking,

za, JDSUs global business development

One area where field testing is advancing, he

technical solution sales support engineer

leader for RF test solutions. They have to

said, is in the ability to compare two different

with Ericsson, said that fewer components

know how to deal with fiber, and what you

devices to each other to benchmark perfor-

and shorter cables in a simpler path can

need to test. In regards to site backhaul,

mance as it would be experienced by an end

actually reduce PIM issues.

that technology is changing as well, from

user, and determine any issues.

FEATURE REPORT

The testing with the LTE handset makes

test all aspects of the devices and make

more apparent, Standen said. Thats es-

a lot of difference, said TekComms Tang.

sure under various network conditions that

pecially true with PIM testing.

It can break your network if things are not

the devices perform to certain performance

managed correctly.

benchmarks, Malhotra said.

While PIM was an issue in 2G and 3G

networks, operators often were able to tune

Malhotra noted that in the early days of

Immediate and heavy use: Actix, a network

spectrum usage so that the interference

cellular service, retail stores would only

optimization company based in the United

from PIM simply didnt show up in the par-

sell one or two devices that looked largely

Kingdom, has found that as much as 35%

ticular section of the band being used. With

alike, with small screens and voice-only

of 3G data traffic in European networks is

LTE, according to Ericssons Buesking, the

service and connected to a single, cellular

generated by LTE-ready handsets and that

use of wider RF channels eliminates some

network no Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or GPS.

four of the top 10 devices on mature Euro-

of that flexibility.

The idea was that its the network thats

pean networks the Apple iPhone 5, Sam-

This kind of testing has always been

prompting differentiation, thats driving

sung Galaxy SII and SIII, and Apples iPad

done in one fashion or another, but it

the user experience, he said. If you fast-

3 are LTE-capable. As Actix put it, there

has come more to the front burner, so to

forward to today, thats obviously changed

is no safety net for operators who roll out

speak, as something to look at recently,

substantially, and theres a great deal of

LTE, with a substantial percentage of their

Buesking added.

competition at the device level, not just at

customers running on LTE as soon as the

the service level.

networks are turned on.

Malhotra said that device OEMs are responding to that pressure with intense field

Kai Sahala, head of mobile broadband marketing for NSN, echoed those observations.

External PIM in particular can be a

tricky beast to mitigate, because its usually generated off-site. Standen said although there is disagreement on what

testing of devices during the development

LTE is very quickly taken into use,

percent of PIM is within the system or ex-

and quality assurance phases of the device

Sahala said. When we are deploying LTE

ternal, he believes it is as high as 50% of

lifecycle, to make sure that their smart-

networks, especially in countries like Ko-

PIM sources external.

phones or other products work as well or

rea and Japan, they are immediately tak-

He gave two examples of hard-to-find

better than previous models and are equal

en into heavy use. They need to work from

PIM: A cell site in a Scandinavian country

to or better than the competition. Carriers

day one.

was having PIM issues, but the infrastructure itself was clean of interference. Anrit-

are heavily invested in customers device

satisfaction and the rapid introduction of
new devices in order to win subscribers in
a saturated market, Malhotra said.

The problem of PIM

su found that the site antenna was pointed

One type of noise that has become a com-

directly at a rusted metal snow rail, used to

mon stumbling block in LTE is PIM, or pas-

keep heavy snow from falling off buildings

And when it comes to testing and tuning

sive intermodulation. PIM is interference

and injuring people. So the antenna was

handsets so that they can handle specific

caused by passive elements and can be ei-

adjusted in order to shift the signal to not

services well, Malhotra compared the com-

ther internal caused by parts of the physi-

directly strike the snow rail.

plexity to a Rubiks Cube.

cal network installation itself or external,

An OEM might do a lot of work to make

coming from sources beyond the cell site.

Another: A U.S. site was seeing heavy PIM

interference and had been stripped and re-

sure the video experience works very well

Locating and mitigating PIM is particu-

built by a carrier three times, an expensive

so one side is one color. Then you turn

larly important in LTE networks because

undertaking. Despite the rebuilds, PIM was

the cube around and youve messed up the

of their susceptibility to noise that can

still taking down the site. Standen said that

other side its affecting voice performance

degrade the signal, and therefore the net-

Anritsu tested the site itself, found it clean,

or its affecting battery life.

works performance.

and tested out to 500 feet without finding any

Its extremely complicated to try and

As capacity increases, problems become

PIM sources. They opened the range even

Mobile Performance Test.

10x (###) ###-####
10x http://custom.com
5x 100MB ftp.custom.com
5x YouTube.com/custom
Build Test Plan

Download Test Plan

Download Test Plan

Download Test Plan

2013 Azimuth Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Run Test Plan

Run Test Plan

Run Test Plan

an

Evolved.

Store

Reports
Azimuth delivers the mobile industrys
first integrated automation, analysis
and administration framework for
device profiling and benchmarking.
Source: Alcatel-Lucent

Analyze Results

DAC

Device Automation & Control unattended testing

of device functions to simulate the user experience:
voice, messaging, data and video

DnA

Diagnostics & Analytics analysis of user experience

KPIs and device-network logs, to identify performance
issues and isolate root causes

RnA
Analyze Results

Reporting & Administration centralized test manager

and results warehouse, to ensure all devices are tested
under the same conditions, and to share analysis
between lab and field teams, and between operators,
manufacturers and their ecosystems.
By reducing the time it takes to conduct testing across
a wide range of scenarios, to process results and
pinpoint issues, and to share them across organizational
boundaries, Azimuth enables device test teams to
address growing requirements with greater efficiency
than existing solutions.

Analyze Results

azimuthsystems.com

FEATURE REPORT

installation, with branches needing to

each be isolated and tested.
At some point, I want to stop talking
about PIM, Verizon Wireless Semone has
said. But he added that particularly with
in-building systems at large venues with
owners unfamiliar with wireless, rookie
mistakes are still being made in the installation process.
Testing the heterogeneous network
As laid out in the vision for LTE-Advanced, cellular networks are expected to
become more varied that the macro network is going to be enhanced by layers of
technology, including Wi-Fi and small cells,
which give carriers the flexibility to more
efficiently provide targeted coverage and
capacity and offload some of the traffic from
their macro sites.
So in addition to testing the macro network, testing of the relationships among
macro, Wi-Fi and small cell, as well as indoor and outdoor coverage (which can vary
considerably in strength depending on
which spectrum a carrier uses for LTE deSource: Anritsu

ployment), complicates field testing further.

PIM testing is an important element of network deployments, allowing carriers to discover problem areas before a
commercial launch.

Small cells have garnered a lot of attention this year, but there are many issues
still to be figured out, including backhaul
and the handling of hand-offs between the
macro network and small cells.
Renuka Bhalero is a principal systems
architect at Radisys, which produces net-

further, and found a bidirectional antenna

1,500 feet from the site that was picking up
the signal and reflecting it back.

wireless reception in mind.

work software that supports small cell

Youd be amazed at what light fixtures

deployments by operators. She said that

and badly insulated roofing and all kinds

in particular dealing with interference is-

PIM is a particular challenge for in-

of things can do to PIM, Standen said.

sues between small cells and the macro

building distributed antenna systems,

It can be a long and involved process

network has been one of the big challenges

since buildings were not constructed with

to test DAS due to its usual star-like

for small cell deployments.

FEATURE REPORT

With the macro network, it was all stat-

Mary Justl, head of global RF services,

Wi-Fi is fundamentally a different tech-

ic configurations, she said. You already

planning and readiness for Alcatel-Lucent,

nology in a number of important aspects,

knew the range, transmission was not so

said that some operators perspective on

Lukaszewski said.

much of a challenge. But with small cells,

dedicated versus shared spectrum for

this changes. Now, in the same frequency,

small cells has evolved.

It covers a smaller area of hundreds

of yards, compared to macro sites with

you have a small cell sharing the band and

Theyre changing a bit, depending on the

ranges measured in kilometers or miles;

transmitting, and trying to also see that

customer, Justl said. Some of the opera-

is designed to be deployed at higher den-

the customers have big data throughput.

tors prefer only dedicated [spectrum]. Oth-

sity than macro sites, and closer to the end

The interference is a major challenge when

er said were going to share, but theyre

user; and on-device clients make the deci-

you start rolling out.

starting to change their minds a little bit.

sions about which network access point to

That makes a difference in terms of how

connect with.

Although interference between the macro

and small cell networks in HetNets is supposed
to be mitigated by the LTE-Advanced feature

youre interfering and how youre not.

In cellular networks, Lukaszewski said,

NSNs Rader said that he has seen trials

hand-offs and decisions about which net-

interference

for small cells, but not widespread deploy-

work resources to make use of are highly

coordination, that feature has not yet been

ment, which he expects to be further along

choreographed and devices receive in-

adopted since the industry is still working on

in a year or two due to interference issues

struction from the network itself. Things

adoption of previous LTE releases. One work-

with small cells.

like roaming are far more deterministic

called

enhanced

inter-cell

in cellular, and a little less predictable in

around commonly seen, according to Radisys

Meanwhile, Wi-Fis role in operator

and others, is that operators are deploying

networks also offers testing challenges,

small cells on their own spectrum in order to

according to Chuck Lukaszewski, senior

Last but not least, device capabilities

sidestep the interference challenges with the

director of outdoor solutions engineering

play in. Lukaszewski noted that laptops get

macro network.

for Wi-Fi provider Aruba Networks.

the best Wi-Fi performance because they

Source: 4G Americas

Wi-Fi, he said.

Heterogeneous networks are considered the networks of tomorrow.

FEATURE REPORT

Rader also noted that the move toward

sets, so that the instruments are doing

Despite advances in the Wi-Fi standard, the more heterogeneous networks means more

all the assessment, making automated

fact that most smartphones and tablets have complex testing, as handoffs between all of

tests, and giving techs a simple pass/fail

only a single Wi-Fi antenna limits their per- the legacy technologies must also be tested

and areas that need to be improved.

are able to handle multiple streams of data.

formance greatly. Those have a direct ef- along with exchanges between macro netfect on network performance, Lukaszewski work technologies (2G, 3G and LTE) and
said and the impact on performance can both Wi-Fi and small cells.
be interpreted by customers as a flaw of the
device, or of the network.

Shapiro noted several trends that are

making field testing easier.
Test equipment is becoming more por-

The radio environment that youre test-

table, lighter and easier to use in spite

ing really hasnt changed, Rader said.

of all the complex features and analytics

Walk testing, in which engineers with Youve complicated it by putting more netbackpacks of equipment walk around large works, and more layers.

built into it, she said.

In addition, Shapiro pointed to several
vendor-specific products as examples.

venues testing the coverage and speed, are

the typical route for testing Wi-Fi instal- Simplicity and complexity

JDSUs CellAdvisor, for example, can

Even as testing grows more complex, test

do both RF and fiber testing in one de-

Wi-Fi is not often subjected to the same companies recognize the need to simplify

vice to cope with evolving site technolo-

lations.

quality of service testing that the macro their equipment.

gies. Azimuth Systems recently took an

Carriers are often loathe to send engi-

automation and analytics toolset that

often concerned with having sufficient area neers out to do testing unless they must,

worked well in the lab and modified it

covered with a strong signal, rather than the and would prefer to send cellular techni-

for field use in order to promote better

same level of detailed quality of service test- cians as a cost savings. In order for techs

end-to-end testing. And test solutions

to do the testing, Stanton said, the equip-

are increasingly running on standard

Weve tried to capture from key operators ment must have an intuitive user interface

products, such as a Samsung Galaxy

network is likely to endure. Operators are

ing that the macro network endures.

what they see as a requirement for testing and not require an engineers expertise to
Wi-Fi in the field, Standen said. Its very properly run tests.

tablet or an iPad.
Paul Denisowski, applications engi-

It is simplifying the testing in the

neer for Rohde & Schwarz, pointed out

Frost & Sullivans Shapiro confirmed that field, even though the testing behind the

that another aspect of testing that is

the industry is not quite sure what type of scenes has become more complicated,

being simplified amid is comparisons

field testing is needed to test Wi-Fi and said Stanton said.

among networks. Rather than trying to

difficult to get precise answers on that.

Eduardo Inzunza of JDSU noted that

compare apples-and-oranges statistics

Fi test equipment market accounted for a with voice still running on legacy net-

across UMTS and CDMA2000 networks,

works, operators have to maintain two to

the fact that major operators are all mi-

that field test applications for the global Wimere $18.4 million in 2012.

This segment contributed the smallest portion three networks at once.

to total market revenue, because demand for

That makes all the testing a big more

grating toward LTE means that meaningful comparisons can be made.

Wi-Fi field test solutions was minimal before complicated for the cell technicians, he

Denisowski thinks that convergence is

2011, as the Wi-Fi device could be used to check said. They have to maintain everything

going to lead to useful test and measure-

its own coverage. With the recent Wi-Fi offload they had before, but also deal with the new

ment of network and service quality that

trend penetrating the industry, the demand test techniques and technologies.

will allow operators to use those metrics

for Wi-Fi field test solutions is expected to

increase, Shapiro explained.

Inzunza said that JDSUs approach has

been to put more smarts into our test

as differentiators when theyre all using

the same network technology.

Field Wireless Solutions

The Most Trusted

Instruments in the Field

Spectrum MasterTM MS2720T

2013 Anritsu Company

Simplify measurements of MIMO and

remote radio head LTE transmitters.
Anritsu provides the most comprehensive Over-the-Air
testing for both LTE and TD-LTE base stations, including
a unique transmitter test function to ease verication and
troubleshooting of MIMO transmitters.
With automatic detection of MIMO and on-screen coverage
mapping, you can validate the quality of your LTE coverage,
even while operating with live traffic. Meet your KPIs.
Save time. Save money. Only with Anritsu.
Visit us at: www.goanritsu.com/rcrFW2 to download our
FREE Practical eNodeB Transmitter Measurements for
LTE and TD-LTE Systems Using MIMO Application Note

USA/Canada 1-800-ANRITSU Europe 44 1582-433433

Japan 81 (46) 296-1208 Asia-Pacific (852) 2301-4980
South America 55 (11) 3283-2511

Designed and
Manufactured
in U.S.A.

UPCOMING 2013 EDITORIAL

PROGRAMS INCLUDE:

Need guaranteed leads?

Thought leadership?
Incremental content
marketing opportunities?
Sponsor an RCR Wireless News' multi-platform, editorial program and receive
the following benefits:
Editorial Webinar sponsorship includes 200 guaranteed leads, participation as sponsored guest and recognition as sponsor in all promotional materials. Sponsors will receive webinar registration and attendee list, responses to
pre and post surveys and polling responses gathered during webinar.

OCTOBER

2014 Global VoLTE predictions

NOVEMBER

Telecom CIO Spotlight: Are CIO's the key to

Telecom's future?
Talent Wars: Telecom Infrastructure and Services
DECEMBER

Managing customer experience with LTE, WiFi

offload, HetNets and Hotspot 2.0

Editorial Feature Report in addition to recognition as sponsor in program

promotion, sponsorship includes 200 guaranteed leads, distinct from webinar
leads, 2-page ad spread or advertorial in feature report, and responses to lead
capture survey questions.
Editorial RCR TV Program sponsorship includes participation as
sponsored guest in roundtable discussion with editor and industry analyst.

For information contact

sales@rcrwireless.com

25% discount

When you sponsor 2 or more programs

Fast facts about RCR Wireless News digital network (May 2013)
500,000+ monthly page views
100,000+ unique monthly visitors to websites
150,000+ opt in newsletter subscribers
90,000+ monthly video minutes viewed on RCR Wireless News Youtube channel
34,000 monthly videos viewed on RCR Wireless News Youtube channel
Industry leading demand generation programs and results

www.rcrwireless.com/article/section/free-reports

Each program is limited to three (3) sponsors