TRADE NEWS: Agilent Technologies Announces Industry's Most Comprehensive Solution for Monitoring, Troubleshooting Mobile Soft Switch Networks

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced the most comprehensive solution for monitoring and troubleshooting new mobile soft switch (MSS) networks and the Voice over IP (VoIP) services they deliver. Agilent’s enhanced QoS analyzer and session trace applications further extend the assureME application portfolio by simplifying the process of managing MSS networks. Network and service quality is ensured through rapid identification and analysis of potential issues, and in-depth troubleshooting for early problem resolution.

Deploying mobile soft switches is a critical step to ensure that mobile operators remain competitive in their key service, voice telephony. Mobile soft switches reduce service delivery costs to address increasing threats from other operators but also from an ever-growing number of low-cost virtual operators and most recently, from free Internet service providers. As mobile service providers deploy MSS networks, they look for familiar ways to manage the network. As this takes place, the network is extremely susceptible to configuration, quality and interworking issues. Agilent’s QoS analyzer prioritizes the most critical service and network problems for rapid diagnosis. The solution enables mobile operators to track a new extensive set of key performance indicators (KPIs), including voice quality, to manage soft switch infrastructure, and to deliver an acceptable service experience.

Agilent’s session trace has evolved to provide critical new capabilities to help operators troubleshoot soft switch networks. Customer, service and network problems are detailed from session down to packet decode of signaling and voice channel analysis. Combined, these solutions provide rapid problem resolution in three clicks: notification, context and troubleshooting. Further extending their industry-proven capabilities, both solutions are integrated into operations and engineering workflow, enabling the easy transfer and sharing of information, and problem diagnosis across departments.

“Agilent has the longest history of monitoring signaling networks in the industry and leads the market in this area,” said Ann Marie Zimmerman, Agilent vice president and general manager, Assurance Solutions. “We’ve leveraged that experience and technology to provide two new applications for mobile soft switch networks and VoIP: QoS analyzer and session trace for mobile soft switch, which simplify MSS network management and greatly accelerate real-time deployments. The solution has already gained significant industry acceptance with the placement of a major order by a key European mobile operator.”

The benefits of Agilent’s QoS analyzer for MSS networks include:

• easily configured key performance indicators and thresholds ensure that network and service problems are not ignored;
• rapid detection and resolution of protocol interworking problems as messages traverse from circuit-switched to IP stacks through new nodes to maintain expected network quality;
• assurance that the quality of voice calls is maintained as they traverse from circuit switch to VoIP; and,
• significantly reduced outage times, resulting from real-time identification of routing failures or misconfigurations.

The benefits of Agilent’s session trace for MSS networks include:

• rapid resolution of mobile soft switch problems with a simple, intuitive sequence diagram depicting a complex session;
• industry’s fastest mobile soft switch fault-time-to-fix with one-line error messages to help determine problem cause; and,
• business-friendly solution that easily integrates into operations and engineering workflows.

Availability

The Agilent session trace and QoS analyzer for MSS networks is expected to be available by the second calendar quarter of 2008.

More information about the Agilent QoS analyzer and session trace applications is available at www.agilent.com/find/QoSAnalyzer and www.agilent.com/find/SessionTrace.

About assureME

Agilent’s assureME portfolio of solutions enables users to measure subscribers’ experience, putting a customer-centric perspective on traditional network assurance. assureME solutions leverage Agilent’s leadership in the operations support system market by adding customer- and service-specific measurements to its broad collection of network data measurement capabilities.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company’s 19,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $5.4 billion in fiscal 2007. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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