The test, monitoring and analytics experts at EXFO recently announced that a Tier 1 U.S. mobile network operator (MNO) has chosen to deploy EXFO’s Nova Active testing capabilities across its 5G network, from core to edge to last mile, to better enable ultra-fast, ultra-reliable connections for the operator's customers.
According to an April press release, results of synthetic network tests from the Nova Active platform will be paired with EXFO’s Nova SensAI software—already deployed with the MNO—to diagnose customer-impacting performance issues in real time and to reduce troubleshooting mean time to repair (MTTR), according to the test equipment provider.
As reckoned by EXFO:
Integral to 5G, edge computing is essential for delivering ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) by bringing compute and network functions closer to users. This in turn enables service and applications that require ultra-low latency and high throughput.
However, it is challenging to deliver a seamless user experience when multiple handoffs are required between cell sites, edge cloud platform locations, distributed network functions and application hosting services.
To isolate and resolve issues that impact customer quality of experience, MNOs need a new kind of service assurance technology that can adapt in real time to dynamic, constantly evolving services.
Closing the 5G visibility gap
To overcome such 5G performance challenges, EXFO is equipping the Tier 1 U.S. MNO with its adaptive service assurance technology to deliver the quality of experience that customers expect from a leading 5G network.
EXFO contends its Nova Active and Nova SensAI test solutions close the visibility gap between the 5G core and edge networks and cloud infrastructure by testing network layers 2 through 7, as well as applications and services like over-the-top (OTT) video.
EXFO says its deployed solution will provide the MNO with actionable insights from across the network by integrating with service orchestration platforms, data lakes, telemetry data and other tools. "Equipped with EXFO’s adaptive service assurance technology, the MNO’s operations team will get the right data at the right time, which will allow them to make real-time decisions and improve network performance," concluded the company's statement.
Philippe Morin, EXFO’s CEO, commented: “EXFO is proud to partner with service providers dedicated to excellent customer experience, like this Tier 1 U.S. mobile network operator. The service assurance technology we provide adapts in real time to dynamic 5G networks, equipping MNO operations teams to rapidly identify and troubleshoot customer-impacting issues. EXFO’s solutions are designed to scale dynamically as the network grows, automating testing of new last mile connections and service slices. I look forward to seeing how this new deployment will continue to produce innovations and allow the MNO to provide ultra-fast, ultra-reliable connections for people, businesses and communities.”