Ixia and Anite simplify video telephony certification

October 4, 2006

Ixia, a provider of IP performance test systems, and Anite, a provider of test and measurement technology for the wireless industry, have integrated two of their key products to simplify video telephony certification. The collaboration helps ensure handsets conform to the test cases selected by the Global Certification Forum (GCF) for video telephony application enabler certification.

"3G video telephony is a growing market, but one with unique challenges," said Richard Webb, directing analyst for wireless with Infonetics. "For these services to be successful, it is vital to maintain and improve service quality in order to gain mass market acceptance. Aspects such as interoperability of the handsets and shorter call setup times are essential to meeting user's expectations of the video telephony experience."

Ixia's IxMobile video telephony terminal emulator and the Anite SAS wireless toolset together perform both base station and terminal emulation to provide a repeatable and versatile test environment for handset certification. The IxMobile and Anite SAS are seamlessly integrated via IxMobile's programmatic interface to communicate with the handset under test over a contained, RF interface.

"This cooperation marks another step in Ixia's entry into 3G Wireless and provides the video telephony community with comprehensive tests for certifying handsets today and into the future," said Cliff Hannel, Ixia vice president, Acquisitions & Strategy. "Together, Anite and Ixia are providing a streamlined way for operators and manufactures to ensure subscriber interoperability and service quality."

IxMobile is an easy-to-use, out-of-the-box operational test platform that emulates video telephony terminals communicating with handsets under test for protocol analysis, conformance and inter-operability testing.

Wireless handset manufactures use IxMobile to develop and test 3G video applications, while network operators use IxMobile for handset interoperability testing and acceptance, as well as video telephony network optimization to continually assess and improve quality of experience for their customers.

IxMobile comes pre-equipped with all necessary profiles to execute the GCF video telephony certification test suite. No programming is required so users simply choose which test case to run, and execute it enabling quicker time to test and better utilization of test resources in the lab.

Anite's SAS interoperability toolset reduces the cost and time taken to bring a certified handset to market. This is achieved by providing a network simulation environment in which handsets may be tested in a variety of real-world conditions. Anite's SAS toolset is based on a platform that is common across Anite's entire product range.

"Anite is pleased to be able to work with Ixia and extend the industry leading qualities of SAS," said Rick Gelaky, product marketing manager, Anite. "Mobile video applications are pacing the take-up of 3G handsets worldwide. Anite is committed to ensuring that the industry has the tools to ensure that these applications deliver on the expectations of customers."

The GCF focuses on handset certification to ensure conformance and interoperability. The association, comprised of wireless network operators, handset manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers, and test laboratories, agrees on certification requirements for all aspects of handsets and provides mechanisms for official certification. Most recently, the organization created a certification test suite for video telephony by selecting a series of test cases established by the International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC). The GCF does not endorse test platforms.