VIAVI Lights The Path to 5G at Mobile World Congress

Global Operators and Equipment Manufacturers Rely on VIAVI Solutions to Provide Test, Assurance and Optimization Solutions and Analytics to Define Network Evolution Strategies

Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain, February 22, 2016 – Fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications technology promises to bring disruptive and delightful experiences to subscribers, and new business models and efficiencies to operators, by connecting more diverse endpoints and devices than ever before. Yet over half of worldwide mobile connections are still on 2G today, indicating that operators are at different points on the path to 5G. As a premier provider of test, assurance and optimization solutions to operators and equipment manufacturers around the globe, VIAVI is committed to delivering insights that will help the industry define effective network evolution strategies. At Mobile World Congress, VIAVI is introducing systems and software which are relevant today and become increasingly more important for the network journey to 5G. Visit VIAVI in Hall 6, Stand 6I37, February 22-25.

Since its transformation from JDSU in 2015, VIAVI has redoubled its commitment to enable end-to-end visibility across physical, virtual and cloud networks for enterprises and service providers. The company participates in major 5G and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) industry and research initiatives and actively contributes to the development of well-defined and harmonized standards, through 23 industry organizations including 3GPP, ETSI and TMForum. VIAVI incorporates this forward thinking into solutions it delivers to the industry today, enabling customers to manage operational networks while gaining valuable analytics to inform future network plans.

Radio Access Network: Location Awareness, Machine Learning and Workforce Efficiency

VIAVI has launched a trio of solutions to support mobile operators in precisely tuning their radio access networks (RAN) to continually address increasingly unpredictable traffic driven by diverse applications and endpoints.

  • GEOson, powered by the combined technologies of Arieso and Reverb Networks. As mobile network operators strive to stay ahead of surging, non-uniform demand from their subscriber bases, they are seeking to automate network optimization based on real-time, actionable intelligence, especially in the RAN which will continue to get more distributed, heterogeneous and complex. VIAVI’s self-organizing network (SON) system leverages location-aware, subscriber-level connection event data to drive dynamic adaptation of the RAN. GEOson utilizes machine-learning algorithms to predict effects of changes to help ensure stable operation, and is available in a SaaS model and virtualized.
  • CellAdvisor with BBU emulation. The more complex the RAN gets, the more operators need to minimize cost, time to market, downtime and risks to field technician safety in cell site installations. The popular CellAdvisor Base Station Analyzer has been augmented with embedded baseband unit (BBU) emulation to enable comprehensive testing during remote radio head (RRH) installations at cell sites, dramatically reducing the need for repeat site visits and tower climbs to speed up deployment times and cutting operational expenses.
  • T-BERD/MTS Timing Expansion Module. The rapid, dynamic adaptation and coordination of RAN will require more precise synchronization from one generation to the next. The Timing Expansion Module (TEM) is designed to provide more precise synchronization, faster and with less equipment than existing products. It is compatible with all of the major global location satellite constellations. An advanced timing mechanism in a tiny package that fits in existing instruments, the TEM can eliminate the need for separate systems or field teams.

Packet Network: Virtualization, Microprobes and Embedded Application Awareness

The backbone of the mobile network will require as much adaptation as the RAN from one generation to the next. Here, VIAVI is introducing probes to fit in with operators’ focus on virtualization, capacity expansion and application awareness.

  • Virtualized Ethernet probe. As connected devices grow in number and demand for service—from smartphones to connected cars and homes—operators will need to be able to deploy service assurance and backhaul test at varying scales and points through the network, calling for solutions that are not tied to purpose-built hardware platforms. The EtherASSURE virtualized Ethernet probe delivers test, troubleshooting and performance monitoring on industry-standard x86 server platforms. National carriers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia have been conducting or plan to conduct trials.
  • 10 Gbps Ethernet Microprobe. For those operators requiring a physical probe, the industry’s first 10 Gbps Ethernet Microprobe in the SFP+ form factor, with embedded application awareness, anticipates the significantly higher transport and backhaul speeds required to implement 5G networks.
  • “VIAVI is privileged to work alongside the world’s operators and equipment manufacturers, in daily operation and in industry bodies, to innovate network and service test and assurance platforms,” said Sameh Yamany, Chief Technology Officer, VIAVI Solutions. “While we have an eye on the future with 5G, we are equally focused on providing our customers with solutions that can improve the subscriber experience and affect their top and bottom lines in the present.”

About VIAVI Solutions
VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) software and hardware platforms and instruments deliver end-to-end visibility across physical, virtual and hybrid networks. Precise intelligence and actionable insight from across the network ecosystem optimizes the service experience for increased customer loyalty, greater profitability and quicker transitions to next-generation technologies. VIAVI is also a leader in anti-counterfeiting solutions for currency authentication and high-value optical components and instruments for diverse government and commercial applications.  Learn more at www.viavisolutions.com and follow us on VIAVI Perspectives, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.