NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, a leading provider of performance management, cybersecurity, and DDoS protection solutions, has introduced RAN Analytics for Carrier Aggregation. This new solution offers unique insights into carrier aggregation patterns that help mobile operators achieve superior performance and a better subscriber experience with high-speed LTE and 5G deployments.
As mobile operators seek to make the most of newly allocated and reassigned spectrum licenses to reach maximum 5G throughput, carrier aggregation techniques increase overall bandwidth. However, using multiple carrier frequencies across millions of LTE and 5G cells introduces new layers of assurance and troubleshooting complexity. Determining the root cause has been a manual process. NETSCOUT's RAN Analytics for Carrier Aggregation addresses this challenge by giving mobile operators the automated root cause analysis visibility needed to identify, investigate, and resolve performance issues and accelerate the return on their spectrum investments.
Carrier Aggregation Goals:
The combination of multiple frequency carriers delivers the following benefits:
- Faster Downloads and Faster Uploads
- Buffer-free Viewing of High-Resolution Video
- Maximum Return on Spectrum Investments.
Carrier Aggregation Challenges:
- Diversity of UE Modems with Hundreds of Possible Band Capabilities
- Siloed Views of Band Combination Utilization and Performance
- Expensive and Time-consuming Call-by-call Troubleshooting Workflows
- Complexity of Massive LTE and 5G Cell Deployments.
With the introduction of NETSCOUT’s CA analytics solution, mobile network operators gain access to a unique dataset that delivers a combination view of handsets, cell CA performance, and RF conditions across the network.
Addressable Scenarios
- UE and NEM Software Issues
- Poor Cell RF Performance Issues
- Misconfiguration of CA ‘Neighbor Cells
- Poor Handover Parameter Settings
- Handset Reconfiguration Requirements
- Offered Carrier Combination Adjustments
“Carrier aggregation analytics offer the key to automatically determine the root cause of carrier aggregation performance, which unlocks the full potential of high-speed LTE and 5G services since single call analysis is no longer viable or cost-effective,” said Paolo Trevisan, AVP of product management at NETSCOUT. “With our solution, mobile operators can address multiple critical questions about the viability and performance of their carrier aggregation approach, including usage, performance, efficacy, and quality. This powerful capability provides an understanding of critical factors like the most frequently used and failing carrier band combinations, which band combinations add unwanted complexity to the network, and what root causes are leading to radio connectivity failures.”
RAN Analytics for Carrier Aggregation is vendor agnostic, 3GPP compliant, and uses NETSCOUT’s Smart Data, making it highly scalable and suitable for networks of any size and at any stage in the 5G lifecycle. Additionally, the data is available for export to Open RAN automation systems, data lakes, and other third parties using a robust, industry-standard interface.
Click here to learn more about NETSCOUT's RAN Analytics for Carrier Aggregation.
Click here to learn more about Open RAN on everything RF.
