Keysight’s LoadCore 5G Core Testing software lets engineers simulate traffic in transport networks all the way to the network core.

Wireless carriers are moving from an evolved packet core (EPC) to a 5G core (5GC), defined by 3GPP, as part of the 5G infrastructure. That shift brings on new testing methods for deploying and maintaining 5GC networks. Keysight’s LoadCore 5G Core Testing software answers that need.

LoadCore 5GC Testing software simulates real-world subscriber models, letting mobile operators and network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) qualify performance and reliability of voice and data carried over 5GC networks. Carrier-grade quality of service (QoS) benefits consumers accessing data intensive applications such as video and gaming, and businesses that rely on critical IoT applications such as automotive, manufacturing, energy, and utilities.

5G New Radio (5G NR) in standalone (SA) mode combined with a virtualized network architecture lets operators use network slicing to allocate resources for different use cases. Thus, mobile operators need to manage millions of devices, connections, and use cases to provide service-level agreements (SLAs).

Keysight’s LoadCore 5GC Testing software lets engineers consistently validate the performance of the network from the edge of the radio access network (RAN) to the cloud. To verify that wireless applications using either 4G or 5G technology fulfill the expectations of end-users, the software provides mobile operators and network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) the ability to validate 5G networks, legacy radio access networks (RANs), and the 5GC.

The software can emulate all or part of a 5GC network and the many protocols in those networks. It contains interfaces for many entry points such as gNodeB. The figure below shows a gNodeB simulation.

Keysight’s LoadCore 5GC Testing software performs network capacity tests, measures device data throughput, and models a end-user behavior and mobility condition. Because it’s a scalable network performance validation tool, the LoadCore 5GC Testing software can verify if delivered connectivity service remains stable under conditions such as sudden spikes in network usage caused by disasters or other major events.