With 5G reaching a tipping point in terms of deployment and capabilities, major service providers and their ecosystems are developing pathways to 6G. Industrial applications, such as large-scale private networks, smart cities, and critical communications, require higher throughput and lower latency to enable real-time computing and communication of accurate sensing, imaging, and positioning data. The introduction of TeraHertz/Terabit/microsecond connectivity via the cloud, open networks in a multi-vendor environment, and AI/ML to automate network operations point to a fundamental restructuring of the network at the semiconductor, equipment, software, and application levels. It is now necessary to mitigate and simplify the challenges posed by network performance, quality of service (QoS), security, and power consumption.
NITRO Wireless combines proven, industry-wide performance and interoperability testing platforms used for 3GPP and O-RAN with platform-enabled cloud technology, intelligence, automation, and digital twins Network Integrated Test, Real-Time Analytics and Optimization (NITRO)As networks become more complex and layered, a focus on measuring and ensuring the user experience—by emulating use cases modeled from real-world network data—generates the essential intelligence to simplify the delivery of new technology. NITRO Wireless use cases include:
RAN Intelligence - NITRO Wireless TeraVM's RIC test trains the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) based on real-world network scenario data, the Application Validation Engine (AVE) acts as an "IQ test" for applications to validate whether proposed changes improve RAN efficiency, and geolocation exposes geolocated ar/xApps data, including 24/7 information on subscriber spatial distribution and mobility dynamics.
Private network intelligence: To meet the high reliability and quality of service requirements of private networks, NITRO Wireless offers signal analysis, timing and synchronization verification, antenna alignment, fiber certification, and coverage and performance testing from design to operation.
Network security: 5G RAN, 5G Core, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Next Generation Firewalls, VPN, and cloud security solutions must meet the latest specifications while ensuring that network performance is not impacted. NITRO Wireless' Open RAN security solution provides comprehensive testing coverage, including 3GPP SCAS compliance, DoS attacks and fuzzing, O-Cloud resource exhaustion, protocol validation, port scanning, and open fronthaul security testing.
Digital Twins – Digital twins can reduce business risk in multiple ways. Test software updates and introduce new services in a secure environment to prevent failures when deployed on the live network. NITRO Wireless' digital twins combine tools such as RAN and core emulators, security solutions, realistic traffic scenarios, and cyber threats to mirror an operator's network in the lab. This allows for planning and implementing network changes and challenges with analyzed results before taking action on the real network.
Military communications: NITRO Wireless' integration and testing portfolio offers comprehensive end-to-end and subsystem testing of private military 5G core and radio networks. These can be deployed on the ground, via HAPs, or via satellite.
“While 5G offers exciting new opportunities for connectivity, and amid the race to deploy these networks, it is vital to conduct reliability, stability, and performance testing to ensure success. Network resilience requirements, complexity, and risk thresholds are introducing new dynamics,” said Shamik Mishra, CTO Connectivity, Capgemini Engineering. “We are very pleased to be working closely with VIAVI on our 5G Lab as a Service in Portugal and on O-RAN’s global commitments to harness the potential of this emerging technology and help harmonize efforts for connectivity-driven transformation across the industry.”
“We are thrilled to be working with VIAVI to help the industry advance and accelerate Open RAN adoption,” said Lakshmi Mandyam, Vice President of Product Management for Service Providers and Partner Ecosystem at VMware. “Our companies share a vision of what it will take to address the challenges hindering adoption by simplifying the path for CSPs to test, profile, and certify third-party xApps and rApps through a common framework.” VIAVI’s leadership in Open RAN testing and VMware’s leadership in RIC make this an ideal collaboration.”
“With each generation, networks become more layered, disaggregated, and complex,” said Ian Langley, Senior Vice President of VIAVI’s Wireless Business Unit. “NITRO Wireless cuts through the technological fog with cloud intelligence and automation based on VIAVI’s trusted expertise in performance validation, so our customers can remain focused on top- and bottom-line drivers.”
