SmartAnalytics to provide  intelligent insights into mobile network QoE

unveiled by Rohde & Schwarz

With the rollout of technologies such as IoT and 5G, mobile network operators need to overcome the challenges of increasingly complex air interfaces and demanding use cases in order to deliver the required quality of experience (QoE) to end users. The new SmartAnalytics software, part of the Smart platform from Rohde & Schwarz, combines high-quality data acquisition with intelligent postprocessing analytics to generate QoE-centric network insights. It allows operators to identify critical factors influencing quality and performance for the purposes of network optimization and benchmarking.

Rohde & Schwarz has introduced a new generation of web based software with its SmartAnalytics suite. It enables mobile network operators to effectively store, process and visualize big data, gain deep network insights and ultimately build intelligence for network investment prioritization based on the most critical factors influencing performance and quality of experience (QoE).

SmartAnalytics is a central element of the new Smart platform, a suite of cutting-edge analytics combined with a modular set of software and hardware components for high-quality data acquisition. SmartAnalytics offers versatile, use case driven analytics features to generate QoE-centric insights for the entire network lifecycle – from engineering to benchmarking, optimization and monitoring. Comparison against other networks is also possible. SmartAnalytics reduces the need to purchase additional test and measurement equipment for different stages of the lifecycle, making efficient use of test data.

SmartAnalytics reduces operational complexity and increases productivity, mainly thanks to three features: its seamless user interface; its integration of the Network Performance Score (NPS), which characterizes the network in a single integrated metric; and its direct drill-down capability to provide root cause analysis based on layer 3 information.

The powerful analytics suite offers all features necessary for data management and validation as well as statistical and diagnostic analysis (root cause analysis). In addition, it uses embedded machine learning to guide data analysis and extract key insights otherwise hidden in the structure of the data.

Ready for 5G NR

SmartAnalytics fully supports new technologies such as 5G NR, together with the recently introduced, world’s first 5G NR network measurement solution from Rohde & Schwarz, which is based on a network scanner with matching 5G NR scanning software and the R&S ROMES4 drive test software suite. With its flexible approach, SmartAnalytics aggregates the data in order to provide a network overview. Its dive-in analysis allows users to look at every specific measurement point. These characteristics ensure that network operators can efficiently roll out 5G NR networks.

High-quality data for strategic decisions

Mobile network operators’ management must take well-informed, fact based decisions for strategic investments. This is only possible based on intelligent insights, generated from reliable and accurate data. The Smart platform from Rohde & Schwarz provides a set of specialized and modular test equipment to collect accurate, validated and reproducible data in order to guarantee high-quality results.

As part of the platform, leading-edge hardware ensures uniform RF conditions for all network probes, thus minimizing factors that may distort the measurement of network performance and guaranteeing accurate, reproducible and comparable data acquisition. Existing users, including leading global operators, have confirmed the high system reliability and appreciate the retest rate of almost zero.

Rohde & Schwarz offers the most comprehensive set of mobile network testing scenarios, from scanner based RF to smartphone based QoE measurements, including voice, data, video and apps for all existing technologies. For example, Rohde & Schwarz is the co-inventor of universally adopted test standards for subjective video and voice quality evaluation such as POLQA and J.343.1.

Rohde & Schwarz will present the capabilities of SmartAnalytics at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in hall 6, booth #6C51, from February 25 to 28, 2019. For further information on SmartAnalytics and the Smart platform, go to: www.rohde-schwarz.com/smart