Paris, 11 June 2013 – ERCOM, the leading provider of commercial 4G LTE emulation, validation and optimization solutions, will show how Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) can close the gap between real life LTE and lab emulation, at this month’s LTE World Summit. This comes at a time when more than 424 operators in 126 countries worldwide are now investing in LTE*, making it one of the fastest developing technologies within the mobile ecosystem.

For MNOs, the transition to 4G LTE is proving complex as LTE presents new challenges, including flat IP, increased data rates, the demand for ‘always-on’ services, and the need for near real-time latency. Furthermore, the nature of LTE means that MNOs are currently struggling to achieve global optimisation due to a lack of common language within the whole mobile infrastructure, which encompasses the RAN, core network, IP and applications. SON is also one highly expected and promising feature for MNOs but there are still many questions for the validation of SON solutions.

Olga Yashkova-Shapiro, Program Manager, Communications Test and Measurement Practice at Frost & Sullivan, says: “The LTE Test and Measurement market is booming and is expected to exceed $1.2 billion in 2013, growing at CAGR of 22.7% from 2012 to 2019. However, MNOs are looking for an efficient and global approach to testing. Lab emulation is a new trend which can bring MNOs significant OPEX savings, and Ercom’s MOBIPASS® solution successfully meets the demands of today’s MNOs by testing and simulating LTE networks and helping them reduce not only the high costs associated with LTE deployments, but also the deployment risks in a very efficient and innovative way.”

ERCOM’s VP of Marketing, Guy Lecurieux Lafayette, is set to join a panel discussion at LTE World Summit, focusing on Test and Measurement best practices for LTE. The company’s real life LTE network emulator MOBIPASS® enables MNOs to overcome the challenges associated with the mobile infrastructure, providing a bridge teams and one tool to achieve global validation and optimization. The system is unique to the market as it enables MNOs to mix realistic user and traffic types with actual radio conditions to obtain an authentic test platform, which can be used prior to deployment.

Guy Lecurieux Lafayette says: “With 2013 set to be a year of momentum for LTE, MNOs will rush to get their networks ready for commercial deployment; however the real challenge for them will be to validate their network prior to its roll-out. They must reinvent how they operate, monitor network performance and ensure service quality.”

MOBIPASS® brings a level of realism to MNOs and a performance-oriented vision, giving them added value beyond any lab testing, enabling them to meet customer demand and deliver the experience and services LTE promises.

MOBIPASS® is a commercial network emulation solution connected to real network nodes. It can imitate thousands of UE and includes a unique and advanced channel emulator, an easy-to-use test scenario builder, high performance QoS and QoE measurement tools.

Serge Legris, VP of Engineering-Wireless Access at Videotron, who has already used MOBIPASS®, adds: “We were thrilled by the results MOBIPASS® produced, as it reproduced field conditions and fine-tuned network parameters. Moreover it helped us save at least six months of trialling, technical discussions and evaluations with our vendors, and is something that we aim to replicate going forward. MOBIPASS® offers a new way to benchmark eNodeBs during the RFQ process: it is much faster, cheaper, reproducible and more effective than traditional trials.”

The panel discussion will take place a 14:45 on Day Two of the conference, 26 June. This will be immediately followed by a joint ERCOM and Videotron presentation, which will provide insight in how the right eNodeB vendor can fulfil your business plan.

If you are attending LTE Word Summit and would like to meet Guy Lecurieux Lafayette, please contact Dana Corson on +44 1636 812152 (office) or +44 7795 615466 (mobile), or email dana.corson@proactive-pr.com. For further information, please visit www.ercom.com.

*Source: GSA (Global Mobile Suppliers Association), GSA Evolution to LTE Report, May 2013