Network Benchmarking Solution

Introduction

Cellular broadband data is driving the growth of the telecommunications market, so validating the performance of data applications will remain in the focus of mobile network operators. The challenge in data performance verification is that the maximum throughput, and network features enabling it, can be measured and validated only with controlled, active bulk data transfer tests between a device and a network. 

Mobile network benchmarking campaigns gather information to characterize the Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) of mobile networks. In a typical benchmarking workflow, operators:

1. compare QoS and QoE across different mobile networks, own and competitors,

2. summarize the results as Network Performance Score (NPS) and study details as key performance indicators (KPIs), 

3. evaluate conformance to existing legislation commitments concerning service level agreements, and

4. find QoE measurement facts and arguments for marketing campaign needs

Keysight’s Network Benchmarking solution addresses all these steps. The solution methodology is the result of more than 20 years of expertise of all 3GPP technologies and it has been carefully designed to evaluate and objectively compare the performance, network coverage, and service quality of mobile networks from the users’ perspective. With the benchmarking capabilities offered by Keysight, you will ensure the competitiveness of your wireless networks to optimize customer satisfaction and minimize churn.

Benefits

• Improve customer quality of experience and service

• Ensure the competitiveness of your wireless network to optimize customer satisfaction

• Measure everything in one drive using a high number of devices

• Save time and money and increase sales revenue

• Minimize churn

Why Is Benchmarking Important?

Wireless network benchmarking is important in order to learn about your competitors’ service coverage and experience quality and to ensure the performance and competitiveness of your own wireless network, but also to:

• Reduce churn by improving QoE to keep existing customers

• Gain reputation as the best network to gain new customers

• Detect network coverage gaps and locations with issues, for example, with 

• 5G-LTE interoperability

• Shorten the time-to-market of new technologies, such as 5G NR non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA), LTE-A 8CC and 9CC, and NB-IoT

• Identify network edge coverage problems and identify weak spots

• Identify the best performing phone models

• Make sound decisions on where to build coverage and what KPIs to improve 

Typical benchmarking campaigns collect data on the following areas:

• Customer QoE and network QoS-related KPIs

• Service coverage, accessibility, retainability, and integrity

• The latest network development including 5G NR NSA/SA; data, voice and video quality; and interoperability between 5G and 4G

• Call statistics, such as completed call rate, call setup success rate, dropped calls, blocked calls, call setup time, and MOS

• Data statistics, including DL/UL speed, network latency, and web browsing time

• OTT application KPIs