Ixia has announced the expansion of its award-winning IxRave IP Service Verification solution to include Carrier Ethernet and Mobile Backhaul. These capabilities extend IxRave’s VoIP, IPTV, MSO and Enterprise VPN services verification offerings. Service providers can now actively monitor, measure and troubleshoot their converged networks and services using a unified, affordable, centralized solution.

Until now, service providers were frequently limited to multiple, disconnected niche service monitoring tools that could only provide coverage for a portion of the network or service offerings. IxRave actively test all customers’ individual paths with the same type of traffic that they use, ensuring high quality of experience (QoE) and SLA conformance. The IxRave solution empowers service providers to cost effectively achieve broad network layer 2-7 visibility:

• Across IP service types (data, VoIP, IPTV, L3VPN)
• Across network types (DSL, FTTx, Cable/MSO, MPLS, Ethernet Backhaul)
• Across the service life cycle (service activation to proactive monitoring to fault isolation)
• Across demarcation points (customer premise to network edge to the service delivery platform) and across all subscriber paths

Ixia was recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the market leader for Triple Play Test & Monitoring systems in 2009. IxRave leverages Ixia’s recognized technical leadership and proven test products for routers, switches and integrated multiplay systems. Through a unique architecture that combines Ixia’s centralized test engine, industry-standard embedded software agents, and low-cost appliances, IxRave provides broad end-to-end visibility with QoE metrics.

IxRave is an excellent solution for carriers offering video services because of its unique ability to measure customers’ QoE against pre-defined, objective metrics, including MOS-V and channel zap time.
Using centralized test equipment, IxRave is able to access any video channel at any point across the access network, isolating problems to specific network segments. This helps service providers’ call centers often achieve first call resolution on technical issues.

“As access network elements are moved further into the field. (e.g., FTTx) it becomes even more important for carriers to have a cost efficient verification solution that provides full end-to-end coverage,”
said Walker Colston, VP of Converged Monitoring. “Prior solutions in the service verification market either were narrowly focused or required a huge investment in test hardware for the access network elements—often resulting in insufficient network coverage. IxRave addresses these requirements in an integrated, scalable solution.”

Most competing products are complex and require IP experts to operate.

IxRave’s advanced fault isolation capabilities are built into an intuitive user interface and tightly integrated with existing OSS data— empowering use by tier one call center agents while providing the details needed by tier two and three technicians.

“The blending of digital media and telecommunication services is creating highly sophisticated networks,” said Patrick Kelly of Analysys Mason. “CSPs are demanding fully functional assurance systems capable of supporting multi-service operations. Ixia IxRave provides both multi-service testing capabilities and does it across different technology domains.”

IxRave’s Carrier Ethernet solution leverages the carriers existing OSS system to provide 24x7 monitoring of both network and service quality (QoS and QoE). IxRave’s Mobile Backhaul solution provides service assurance for voice and data backhaul networks to help ensure better service level specification. IxRave offers a “save as you grow” pricing model that enables service providers to quickly deploy effective service verification and achieve tangible results for a modest up front investment with predictable growth.