Many third-party test and validation solutions were not designed for the complexities of the 5G Standalone environment. As a result, many are being retired, one of which is Netscout’s Spectra 2, which is being phased out before 2026. Evolver offers a complete replacement solution – with the added advantage that it supports both 4G and 5G interfaces alongside legacy SS7 and Diameter.

Migrating from Spectra to Evolver is easy. Find out how to make a smooth transition from Spectra 2 to Emblasoft’s advanced test and validation platform, Evolver in our new, step-by-step video.

NETSCOUT’s end-of-life (EOL) date for Spectra 2 has already passed (30 September 2024), with an obsolescence date set for April 2026 – this leaves many operators and service providers in the hunt for replacement solutions. It’s not just Spectra, of course – other solutions, such as EXFO’s QA-805 test and validation solution are also EoL.

Many third-party test and validation solutions were not designed for 5G SA

So, it's an increasingly common theme. For decades, many operators have used third-party solutions for their test and validation requirements. However, 5G, and particularly, 5G Standalone, requires the dynamic orchestration of services and network slices, brings large volumes of high-speed data, and demands an iterative DevOps approach to ensure service differentiation and innovation.

It means that many of these tools are being retired by their providers due to lack of investment, or because they simply were not designed to operate in such a complex environment, and so are now unfit for purpose.

However, there should be a sense of ‘the glass is half full’ here. While this scenario means replacing third-party test and validation tools, it also offers an opportunity for operators to fully reassess and optimise their test and validation approach, including solutions, processes, and strategies – and consider how to enable the test programmes they want within their new CI/CD/CT (DevOps) environment.

Emblasoft Evolver is a comprehensive test and validation solution optimised for 5G SA and legacy technologies

Emblasoft Evolver should be your first port of call when looking at migrating to one of the most advanced and comprehensive test and validation platforms available. Evolver covers the legacy protocols supported by legacy EoL solutions, but also extends to newer interfaces supported in 4G and 5G (NSA & SA). For example, it provides active monitoring to ensure that all network services and slices in a 5G SA environment are consistently delivering the required KPIs, performance, and QoE for end users – from pre-launch until EOL of the service or slice.

Evolver supports a CI/CD/CT approach that enables operators and service providers to quickly launch new services and remain innovative, differentiated, and agile. It offers functional and performance testing pre-launch, while its active monitoring capabilities ensure that performance parameters are met consistently.

Operators can model real-world scenarios in live networks to ensure performance levels are optimised and maintained. If there are issues in the network, administrators receive an alert in real-time, allowing them to fix any problems before they impact the customer.

Just some of the use cases and test scenarios that can be modelled by Evolver, include:

• 5G Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP)
• Roaming 5G Core Nodes 5G SBA / SBI Messaging: RCS, RBM and SMS 
• IMS, VoLTE and VoWiFi 
• 5G Network Slicing 
• SS7 / Diameter multi-protocol testing

Not only does Evolver support legacy protocols, such as SS7 MAP and Diameter, it also supports SIP for voice and video.

How can you migrate from Spectra 2 to Evolver — watch the video to find out!

For Spectra users, we’ve produced a helpful video that shows how easy it is to migrate from a legacy solution to the industry-leading Emblasoft Evolver. The link for the video can be found below.

In the video, you’ll will find detailed information about how to make the migration. Among other things, it demonstrates the transition from Spectra2 to Evolver for performing basic SIP testing and outlines the process for enabling a smooth transition from Spectra2 to Evolver, using a seamless one-to-one conversion of test parameters and scenarios. It’s a step-by-step process, with very little learning curve required.

Emblasoft Evolver enables operators to gracefully migrate to an advanced, industry leading test and validation platform built for the 5G era. To find out how to transition specifically from Spectra 2 to Emblasoft Evolver, check out our video below. And, for a full demonstration, get in touch!