Spirent Communications, a worldwide provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems for next-generation network technologies, announced that it has partnered with Anue Systems, a provider of network emulation solutions for Ethernet, SONET/SDH, and Fibre Channel environments. The partnership expands Spirent's capabilities to assist network equipment manufacturers and service providers with Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) issues across converged networks.

Service providers have to ensure QoS and QoE prior to deploying triple play services, especially video services. When used with the Spirent TestCenter or Spirent Abacus test systems, Anue's network emulators address the unique challenges and scenarios of converged network services by simulating network delays, jitters, and other impairments. By running critical applications through an emulated environment, customers can accurately assess and ensure performance of their network services, equipment, and applications prior to service launch, thereby reducing in-service issues and network downtimes.

"An integrated solution that introduces impairments such as delay, jitter, packet drop, fragmentation, and out of sequence enables equipment manufacturers and service providers to better ensure performance of the converged network and its associated applications in advance of the launch of triple play services," said Chris Bohrson, vice president of marketing, Spirent Communications. "Spirent tests QoS for each network element, end-to-end across the network, and then continues monitoring QoE after deployment."

Spirent's solution helps address several key challenges. These include voice, video and data applications load testing; voice and video quality measurements; Real-Time Protocol (RTP) with IPTV tests; testing of content such as unicast and multicast video and channel change times; Dynamic IP network impairment tests; and testing of all elements of Carrier Ethernet infrastructure. The Spirent solution also enables large-scale emulation of IP Telephony systems; customer premise devices (CPE) such as set-top-boxes, cable/DSL modems, and passive optical network (PON) optical network units (ONUs)/optical network terminals (ONTs); and other devices.

"Data and voice are considered commodities but the ability to deliver video over the same network, be it IPTV, video conferencing, video telephony, or video-on-demand, is critical in terms of growing revenue and the subscriber base," said Kevin Przybocki, vice president, sales and marketing, Anue Systems. "An integrated test and service management solution clearly enables service providers and network equipment manufacturers to thoroughly validate the readiness of converged networks to deliver high-quality and reliable IP video services."