New algorithms and data tests allow the popular Seven.Five Multigenerational Wireless Test System, from Comarco Wireless Test Solutions, to be the first to measure Quality of Service (QoS) of both voice and data networks from the perspective of the wireless subscriber, while providing the root cause for any impairments in QoS. These algorithms and data tests, developed in partnership with SwissQual AG of Zuchwil, Switzerland, can objectively measure voice quality, streaming video quality, and data quality by automatically making voice calls, checking email, downloading files, sending and receiving MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and SMS (Short Message Service) messages, viewing video programming or browsing the Internet.
VQuad is the industry's first and only commercially available algorithm for assessing the quality of streaming video from the customer's perspective. It models many features of human vision, and can accurately simulate perceptual phenomena such as masking and contrast sensitivity. The output of the video test is a related MOS (Mean Opinion Score) value combined with information such as block distortion, blurring, edge busyness, jerkiness and noise. Also, the related audio, as well as video/audio synchronization is assessed.
To conduct the test, reference video sequences are transmitted across the network. At the receiving end, the transmitted sequences are captured and objectively validated by perceptual comparison with the reference sequences.
In order to accurately measure audio quality, SQuad, a complete family of proprietary algorithms, has been deployed in the Seven.Five drive test family of products. SQuad measures the overall audio quality considering all significant factors having an impact on audio quality degradation and is able to detect where and which factors are contributing to degradation. Specialized algorithms are available for measuring clean speech, noise suppressors, and echo cancellers (SQuad-LQ, SQuad-NS, and SQuad-ECP, respectively). Unique to these algorithms is their ability to produce data that identifies the sources of audio quality impairments along with a Mean Opinion Score (MOS) of the audio. These tests are all based on a basic perceptual model of human hearing.
In addition to the video and audio quality algorithms, Seven.Five customers can test the effectiveness of their data networks from the customer's perspective by executing data tests that mimic customer use of their data-capable phones. SMS, MMS, HTTP Browsing using MS Internet Explorer, email using MS Outlook, and downloading files using FTP or UDP are a subset of the available data tests. As with the video and audio algorithms, substantial amounts of data are collected to provide the carrier with the engineering information required to understand the source of impairments to data quality.
"Our new QoS algorithms give the Seven.Five Wireless Test System the ability to more accurately simulate system performance from the perspective of the human wireless user than any other product on the market," says Greg Maton, senior vice president of Comarco. "We are also the first to truly evaluate MMS performance, at a time when messaging is becoming a more and more widely sought after feature."
Various of these algorithms are either standard or optional features of the Seven.Five test family. The test family is a mobile test platform that is adaptable to virtually any test application. It provides wireless infrastructure analysis, benchmarking and optimization for 2G, 2.5G and 3G network deployments.
Comarco provides wireless test solutions for field test applications, ChargeSource universal mobile power products and wireless emergency call box systems.