Interference hunting: the real meaning of automatic direction finding

The need for interference hunting in mobile networks is steadily increasing. And field engineers often ask us which tool we would recommend to be successful in the field. With decades of expertise, what we can say for sure is that it depends: the right tool for successful field service operations depends on the source of interference. Sources are manifold, but…

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Certified Partner Program to address network challenges end-to-end

The testing and benchmarking of mobile networks has reached an unprecedented level of complexity. Considering the rapid technological advancements and continuous introduction of new technologies, such as IoT, 4×4 MIMO and soon 5G, it is very likely that network complexity will continue to increase. To better address current and future network testing challenges, we launched a unique partner program. Hanspeter…

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Measuring quality of experience in public benchmarking campaigns

When studying rankings of mobile operators in specialist publications, you often learn about maximum download and upload speeds, the reliability and availability of offered services, and data transport performance. These technical parameters describing quality of service (QoS) are the bedrock of a reliable mobile service and a well-performing network; they are the basis for subscriber satisfaction. But are they enough…

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SmartBenchmarker’s reliable alarming interface for easier drive tests

A reliable alarming interface is crucial for drive testing, even more so when your network engineers control a large drive test fleet remotely from the office, for example when benchmarking mobile networks with SmartBenchmarker. What the alarming system must provide and how it is used varies with each user role. In an earlier post, I talked about user roles. Here’s a…

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NB-IoT: field report with results from NB-IoT UE measurements (part 3)

After the overview of IoT technologies with a focus on NB-IoT and the discussion about why scanners are a must for NB-IoT coverage measurements, part 3 of this blog series is a field report describing key results that can be obtained by using NB-IoT user equipment as data collection tools. For this, we connected pre-commercial NB-IoT modules and modems to…

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PIM testing: best practices in a nutshell

When it comes to PIM testing, the necessary steps to identify passive intermodulation (PIM) and locate its source are similar to interference hunting. In the end, PIM is an internal source of interference and can have a significant impact on network performance. Before starting with PIM measurements, however, it is recommended to test return loss. The PIM analyzer transmits high power;…

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NB-IoT: scanners are a must for coverage measurements (part 2)

In part 1 of our series about NB-IoT, an “Overview of Internet of Things technologies with a focus on NB-IoT”, we described typical use cases and current technologies pertaining to the Internet of Things (IoT). We also identified that networks for IoT applications will be optimized for highest availability, particularly with regard to IoT applications under extreme receive conditions such…

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Device integration: detective work for mobile network testing solutions

Have you ever thought about device integration? Surely, you’ve heard or read about it; for example, in our recent press release announcing the complete integration of the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones into our product portfolio of mobile network testing solutions. Didn’t you then wonder what exactly device integration means? Unlike competitors’ claims, device integration is everything but simply connecting user and…

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NB-IoT: Overview of Internet of Things with a focus on NB-IoT (part 1)

Use cases for the Internet of Things (IoT) are virtually unlimited. They include smart homes and buildings, wearables and smart fabrics, healthcare, telematics, smart cities, smart factories, and so on. This post provides an overview of current technologies with a focus on IoT developments made by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).  When it comes to mobile network testing in…

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