News | August 14, 2011

Mobile Internet And Location Based Services Drive Demand For Spirent Wireless Testing Solutions

Order Intake Growth for Spirent Wireless Solutions in the First Half of 2011 Reflects

Demand for the Latest Mobile Technologies and Services

Sunnyvale, CA - Spirent Communications plc announces strong results for its wireless test products during the first half of 2011. Spirent, with its broad portfolio of innovative wireless test solutions for mobile devices, as well as access, backhaul and core networks, has benefited from the rapid growth in mobile Internet services and from fixed/mobile convergence.

Putting the Promise of LTE Devices to the Test
The new LTE devices introduced into the market in the first half increased the need for additional testing capacity at both network operators and device manufacturers which drove demand for Spirent's 8100 LTE Test System. New testing needs also resulted from the ramp up of LTE device development teams by manufacturers, as device technology evolved rapidly from data modems/dongles and embedded modules to smartphones, with Verizon Wireless releasing its first commercial LTE smartphone in March. Some of the highlights of Spirent's performance in this area include:

  • Increased order intake for LTE device testing solutions threefold over the same period in 2010
  • Expanded Spirent's deep understanding of leading North American carriers' testing challenges in bringing devices to market.
  • Established leadership in key LTE device performance testing areas including mobility, data performance, and concurrent services, such as simultaneous voice and LTE data.

Testing for the "Location-Aware" Generation
The ever-expanding consumer enthusiasm for location based services (LBS) and the devices that support them was an important driver for Spirent's 8100 Location Technology Test System. According to a recent report by Berg Insight, shipments of GPS-enabled GSM/WCDMA handsets grew 97 percent in 2010 over the previous year and growth rates were maintained into 2011. Smartphones are increasingly making use of location technologies beyond GPS and even the earliest LTE devices include comprehensive location technology support to take advantage of the burgeoning demand for LBS. Some of the highlights of Spirent's performance in this area include:

  • More than doubled order intake for location test solutions compared with the first half of 2010
  • Served as an expert advisor to the massive industry-wide test effort aimed at determining whethe LightSquared's new terrestrial LTE network proposed for the US is likely to cause unacceptable interference to GPS
  • Pioneered new test methodologies for hybrid location technologies that leverage not just GPS, but Wi-Fi, cellular and other satellite technologies such as GLONASS.

Advanced Antenna Technologies for LTE, Tested with Spirent
Growth in the need for realistic testing of the complex MIMO antenna schemes used in LTE base stations and devices drove demand for Spirent's RF channel emulator solutions. The need to deliver higher data rates, greater coverage areas, and lower operational cost is expanding research and development into MIMO antenna technologies. Development momentum for Time Division LTE ("TD-LTE"), expected to be widely deployed in countries such as the US, China and India, continued to build in the first half. TD-LTE's use of complex beamforming techniques to maximize range and network capacity is resulting in new testing opportunities. Some of the highlights of Spirent's performance in this area include:

  • Record half-year order intake for Spirent RF channel emulator solutions
  • Introduced the VR5 HD Spatial Channel Emulator, a powerful new platform aimed specifically at simplifying the latest MIMO testing challenges
  • Introduced the MIMO-OTA Environment Builder software solution to greatly simplify complex over-the-air testing of MIMO LTE devices in an anechoic chamber.

Testing New Network Architectures for Mobile Broadband
The rapid expansion of mobile Internet usage on mobile devices and migration of mobile backhaul networks to Ethernet/IP were major contributors to demand for Spirent's mobile broadband testing solutions including Spirent TestCenter, Spirent TestCenter Mobile Backhaul, Spirent Landslide and Spirent Avalanche. Acceleration in upgrades to next-generation converged network architectures that support LTE, as well as mobility across LTE, 3G and 2G networks has given rise to a new class of mobile gateway that combines IP Routing, quality of service (QoS), deep packet inspection/content awareness with "Any G" mobility. All of this is changing how service providers and network equipment manufacturers approach systems and sub-system testing. Some of the highlights of Spirent's performance in this area include:

  • Doubled order intake for Landslide compared with the first half of 2010
  • Record half-year order intake for Spirent TestCenter Mobile Backhaul, which was also recognized as "Best in Test" by Test & Measurement World magazine, an award based on test equipment user feedback
  • Conducted industry-first public 180 Gbps mobile core test demonstration with Alcatel-Lucent using Spirent Landslide
  • Landslide and Avalanche converged onto Spirent TestCenter hardware platform to better address evolving testing requirements from the convergence of mobile and fixed broadband networks

Spirent Well Positioned to Benefit from Mobile Industry Growth
"We're delighted with the performance of our Wireless test portfolio in the first half. Spirent is well positioned to benefit from the ongoing demand for data service on mobile devices, and the continued global deployment of new wireless technologies such as LTE." said Charles Simmons, president of Spirent's Wireless Division. "Spirent solutions ensure that our customers' products and networks not only meet baseline industry standards but go beyond them to deliver the highest possible quality of experience for subscribers. Quality of experience is a major contributor to the successful take-up of new products and services."

For more information visit http://www.spirent.com/Networks-and-Applications/LTE_Testing.aspx or visit http://www.spirent.com/Investors.aspx.

SOURCE: Spirent Communications plc