Anritsu has announced two new software options for its MD8475A Signalling Tester. One option adds IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) and ETWS (Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System) service function tests for LTE smartphones. There is also a new Extended CSCF (Call Session Control Function) option. These functions have been upgraded to enable the testing and verification for the commercial rollout of LTE smartphones and mobile devices supporting IMS and ETWS services.
The MD8475A Signalling Tester is a base station simulator incorporating hardware and software supporting a full range of mobile communications technologies, including LTE, W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS. The MX847570A SmartStudio software for the MD8475A offers an easy-to-use GUI for setting parameters for each communications test. With this new release, the CSCF Server function has been added for controlling IMS services such as VoLTE and SMS over IMS, as well as the Public Warning Service Centre function for controlling ETWS services.
In addition to the SmartStudio upgrade, installing the newly developed Extended CSCF option enables intentional generation of both abnormal status conditions. Examples such as no network response and server error, as well as quasi-normal status conditions, such as no response from called party and called party busy, represent the essential conditions for the testing of smartphone IMS services. When communications problems occur in field trials on actual LTE networks, the function can help troubleshoot whether the cause is at the network or device side.
