IP Impairment Testing for Wireless Mobile Networks

Abstract

Abstract Wireless mobile telecommunications are of growing importance and an enabler for the Internet of Things. Most networks are IP based or moving to an IP based infrastructure, including the latest 4G LTE and the future 5G networks. Understanding and being able to predict the behavior and performance of such networks in various scenarios and conditions is critical. This drives the need to study IP impairments in wireless telecommunications networks and to assess their impact on network and service performance. One method is to emulate/generate IP impairments while observing and measuring their impact on network performance. In this paper the authors analyze the challenges associated with analyzing the behavior of mobile wireless networks. They discuss the importance and benefits of IP impairments testing and mention the high cost of dedicated IP impairment emulators for telecommunications. A flexible and affordable solution is proposed for educational purposes and the study of IP impairments on wireless telecommunication networks.