We speak to Paul Innis, senior manager of wireless solutions for Anritsu Company, following the announcement of the company winning the Best Network/Device Testing Product for LTE category at the LTE North America Awards 2011, held earlier this month in Dallas, Texas, USA, with its ME7834 mobile device test platform.

Can you tell us a little more about your entry?

Our ME7834 is a mobile device test platform utilised for LTE protocol conformance (GCF Signalling 36.523-1) and LTE Carrier Acceptance Testing (specific to key operator signalling acceptance test plans). The ME7834 is based on the highly proven, market-leading MD8430 (LTE) and MD8480 (UTRAN/GERAN) signaling testers.

Anritsu now has the most validated protocol test cases in Bands 1, 4, 5, 13 and 20. These bands are deployed by major operators in North America, Europe, Japan, and Korea. The ME7834L is also widely accepted by key LTE operators globally (with a specific strength in LTE Data Throughput) and Anritsu is experiencing a strong increase in market share growth within key operator eco-systems, including chipset and UE/device manufacturers, as well as third-party test services organizations.

Why do you think the judges chose your entry for this award?

The ME7834L system is based on the Anritsu MD8430 Base Station Signalling Simulator. This has received awards in the past as a leading platform for signalling simulation and its predecessor, the MD8480, was the market leader in 3G signalling simulation and paved a leadership path for the MD8430. The ME7834L also has grown in reputation in the last year as a uniquely scalable platform with market-leading performance for both protocol conformance and signalling acceptance testing. Additionally, the ME7834L and Anritsu currently hold the number one position in GCF Signalling Conformance, as verified by GCF in October 2011.

What recent industry developments does it specifically address?

The ME7834L (and Anritsu) achieved a number-one position in the most validated protocol conformance test cases at the recent GCF CAG #29 meeting in Windsor, UK. Additionally, Operator Carrier Acceptance Tests dynamically change monthly based on emerging requirements. The ME7834L has a flexible and scalable platform that addresses and/or will address all recently released carrier-specific acceptance protocol tests and/or supplementary signalling requirements.

What plans do you have to improve it in the coming months?

The ME7834L will have seven additional carrier-specific protocol carrier acceptance test plans (over 250 specific test sequences) added to its portfolio over the next 45 days. It will also support VoLTE in the coming months.

What changes do you believe are ahead for the LTE industry as a whole?

The competition of LTE deployment strategies coupled with specific carrier legacy network integration strategies will drive a higher level of complexity in carrier-specific testing. Further, devices will be undergoing more stringent carrier acceptance testing to emulate potential end user usage models. Complex test plans will be integrated to address multiple variants of stress and application testing for a variety of specific network architecture modifications.

How does being named in the awards shortlist benefit your business?

Being listed in the shortlist certainly adds to Anritsu’s growing industry reputation as a leader in protocol and carrier acceptance testing, and we are extremely appreciative of this honour. Anritsu is innately dedicated to being the most trusted and reliable test and measurement vendor to our customers with a number one position in customer satisfaction. This award nomination continues to “fuel” our momentum in achieving that goal.