For the sixth time the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) in Berlin had invited MPLS and Carrier Ethernet equipment vendors to participate in public interoperability testing. The testing environment and the results will be presented in Paris, 5-8 February, 2008, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 11-14 February, 2008, and the CTIA Wireless Show in Las Vegas, 1-3 April, 2008.
Nokia Siemens Networks is a major contributor to the Mobile Backhaul Multi-Vendor Interoperability Test. Out of 15 participating radio and transport equipment vendors Nokia Siemens Networks is the only one supplying an actual WCDMA Base Station along with its SURPASS hiD 6650 Carrier Ethernet switch.
The test topology shows a core network with three metro networks around, each one implementing a different technology. SURPASS hiD 6650 is part of the PBB-TE network, having PBB-TE tunnels set up to all four other players. The Base Station connects to this network with its inbuilt Ethernet interface. Mobile traffic runs through the tunnel set up between SURPASS hiD 6650 and a Nortel Metro Ethernet Routing Switch 8600. At the other end of the tunnel a Nortel Multiservice Switch 15000 collects the traffic and hands it over to the RNC. The very latest HSDPA terminals are used to generate realistic load, for example, videos streamed from the Internet.
This setup impressively underlines the relevance of Carrier Ethernet for mobile backhaul: already a single mobile user may generate several Megabits per second of traffic. The Base Station’s inbuilt Ethernet interfaces allow connecting it to various broadband access technologies. PBB-TE, the technology chosen in this particular test, proofs ready for mobile backhaul.
Proper interworking of all elements – terminals, radio network, and transport network – is essential for maximized user experience. At the Mobile Backhaul Multi-Vendor Interoperability Test Nokia Siemens Networks is demonstrating the capability to create and operate true end to end solutions, based on a rich portfolio of radio and transport technologies and encompassing experience in fixed and mobile networks.