The Session Border Controller (SBC) is a key element in today’s networks. They are essential for supporting the smooth and secure interchange of session-related information for voice and video calls, enabling interoperability and internetworking.

SBCs are also a key element in any operator’s network defences, because an SBC sits at the network perimeter (or border) and manages real-time IP communications securely between different devices and networks, such as another operators’ network or an enterprise network. As such, they are both gateway and gatekeeper – admitting or denying access to traffic, based on rules and security procedures.

Operators depend on SBCs for their national networks, as well as for exchanging traffic with national and international peers. They are key to interoperability and internetworking – and protecting critical infrastructure. The SBC must provide the requisite levels of network protection, while scaling to accommodate different traffic flows. How can operators and service providers ensure this?

Download the briefing paper to see how Emblasoft Evolver can help.

The journey to 5G commercialization hinges on validating key use cases that deliver value for both mobile operators and vertical stakeholders.

To accelerate this process, industry stakeholders must build a robust 5G platform with the scale, reliability, and advanced capabilities of commercial 5G to test and validate 5G services and beyond.

In this paper Emblasoft and partners propose an Experiment-as-a-Service (EaaS) framework that offers a systematic approach to testing, featuring four key service types: integration, functional, performance, and security testing. With the iCORA platform (innovative, Cloud-native, Open, Robust, and Automated) – we show how large-scale 5G experimentation can be realised.

Download the research paper to see how our EaaS framework adapts the flexible and diverse iCORA network to meet diverse demands and tailor support for KPIs across verticals.

5G SA (as outlined in 3GPP Release-18 onwards) brings new levels of performance and new demands on the network for service delivery. The new, dynamically provisioned, software-defined, virtualised 5G network offers multiple opportunities for service providers. However, assuring high-speed, low latency network, packet, and slice performance, typically with demanding SLAs, can be a challenge.

Emblasoft Evolver’s Uranium module supports XDP to enable comprehensive testing at the microsecond-level for the most-demanding URLLC 5G use cases. It offers a new way to test and assure the performance of ultra-high speed, low latency applications.

Learn more about testing low-latency, ultra-high speed 5G applications in our new briefing paper. 

SMS has been a phenomenal success both for consumers and enterprises. For businesses, application-to-person (A2P) messaging – via SMS and through Rich Business Messaging (RBM) – has become a highly effective tool for businesses to improve customer experience, engage customers, and improve security through features such as identity validation and transaction authentication. For operators and service providers it is a significant revenue generator.

Ensuring the reliability, scalability, QoE, and security of A2P services throughout the full technology stack can be a daunting task for operators, carriers, and service providers. Find out how Emblasoft Evolver can meet that challenge, both pre-launch and on an on-going basis. Download our briefing paper to learn more.

SMS and RBM have become one of the most popular channels for communicating with consumers, and provide a significant revenue stream for MNOs. However, the rising prevalence of fraud is a threat to operators and service providers globally – as well as to business reputation.

Service providers – and the entire ecosystem – must ensure the integrity of these important services to maintain the trustworthiness of SMS text messaging, and their revenues.

In this paper we discuss what operators can do to fight back in the battle against SMS fraud and how Emblasoft Evolver can help.

Emblasoft Evolver is a comprehensive test and active assurance platform that can protect your networks and users from increasingly common SMS fraud and threats – and meet MEF best-practice guidelines. Get your copy of the paper to learn more.

How can operators of mission-critical communications networks assure the performance of Push-to-Talk as we migrate to 5G networks? Download our briefing paper to find out.

Push-to-Talk (PTT) is one of the most secure, reliable communication features available. Its clarity, reliability, and security in mission-critical (MCx) communications have made it the de facto method of communication for public safety, ‘blue light’, rail, aviation, maritime, and other sectors.

For all public safety and emergency organisations, PTT simply must work. It must work under the most demanding conditions and with absolute reliability.

For operators, this means that testing and validating PTT – and actively monitoring on a continuous basis – is also critical.

In this briefing paper we will discuss:

• The evolution of Push-to-Talk and challenge facing operators
• Digital transformation of the rail sector with FRMCS
• The features of a full-lifecycle testing solution
• Emblasoft’s comprehensive, end-to-end test and validation approach to assuring PTT communications

Learn more by downloading our briefing paper today.

Emblasoft Evolver and Active Monitoring provides deep integration with monitoring tools, such as Prometheus, and visualisation tools, such as Grafana.

Evolver empowers operators to generate rich insights into network service levels and provides the ability to trigger automated actions based on near-real-time data.

This enables operators to explore 5G and network data in new ways – and to combine Active Monitoring and Performance Validation data with other sources, to discover new insights and optimisation opportunities.

In this briefing paper we explore how Emblasoft can help you unify data, obtain rich visualisations, and share insights across your organisation.

The development of 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) technologies relies on the availability of experimentation facilities that can evaluate and validate the performance of these technologies. It is of great interest and challenge to design, deploy and operate large-scale experimentation platforms to meet the high requirements of various vertical use cases for the 5G services.

This paper describes an i-CORA platform that we built with Telenor Research and Innovation, Telenor, Norway; and EMEA at RedHat, Germany; to support several EU-funded projects (5GMediaHUB, IMAGINE-B5G, FIDAL and COMMECT) and vertical use cases.

Download this briefing paper to learn more.

How to validate 5G core functionality in pre- and production environments

5G, the IoT, and cloud computing will enable a massive increase in the number of connected devices and users, and in data traffic volumes – with each service likely requiring a distinct set of performance and QoS parameters and KPIs.

It will also drive a more heterogenous ecosystem of network equipment, all of which needs to operate seamlessly with each other and within the network, in near-realtime.

Given the complexities of the 5G core, how can service providers and MNOs ensure their networks will operate as expected, end-to-end?

Download this briefing paper to learn more.

As operators around the world switch off their legacy 2G and 3G networks and introduce VoLTE roaming, there is a growing need to test and validate services to meet QoE levels.

Emblasoft Evolver provides the answer

Many operators are still transitioning to VoLTE roaming and lack the tools to test and validate their networks pre-launch as well as dynamically post-launch.

Emblasoft Evolver has a proven track record as a cost-effective, multi-protocol testing platform for VoLTE roaming. Read our briefing paper to learn how Emblasoft can help you to close the VoLTE roaming gap.

Inside, you'll learn about:

• The VoLTE roaming deficit
• Solving the VoLTE roaming challenge
• How Emblasoft Evolver demonstrates comprehensive testing and active monitoring throughout the VoLTE service lifecycle.

A2P messaging is a key business communication channel – the ecosystem depends on smooth service delivery, all the time

Evolver – a complete platform for A2P SMS message assurance and validation

A2P messaging via SMS is a key tool used by businesses to communicate with their customers. It involves a lengthy and sometimes complex value chain, with multiple stakeholders involved in the delivery process. Validating A2P messaging service performance is essential for their success – and for MNOs to meet SLAs with their business customers.

Read our briefing paper to learn how Evolver assures every step.

Emblasoft's Evolver enables MNOs to:

• Test, assure and continually validate A2P SMS services
• Measure service quality, delivery time, content integrity, deliverability and more
• Isolate a uniquely broad range of nodes and test end-to-end
• Collect metrics and reports via APIs
• Validate and enhance protection mechanisms to avoid spam
• Automate tests in pre-production and live networks
• Use active monitoring to verify message delivery performance

Agile active monitoring brings new levels of service assurance and secures multi-vendor networks throughout their lifecycles

Learn how network operators can extend existing service assurance solutions with live and agile active monitoring.

Read our briefing paper to learn how Emblasoft’s solutions provide the flexibility operators need to maintain user experience for core network services delivered over the EPC, IMS and VoLTE.

With Emblasoft, network operators can:

• Run preconfigured scenarios for EPC nodes, IMS services & VoLTE sessions
• Build custom scenarios for advanced modelling and generate KPIs from encrypted sessions
• Automate and align with CI/CD programmes

Comprehensive multi-protocol monitoring, performance test and validation for assurance of virtualised IMS systems.

Operators migrating to a new or virtualised IMS system or offering virtualised 5G-based VoIP or VoWiFi must deploy active monitors within the IMS to ensure service delivery and experience, and to meet their own SLAs. It's essential that operators have the ability to test and validate multiple traffic scenarios in the production environment.

Learn how Evolver simplifies performance analysis by simulating traffic from the Radio Access Networks or nodes within the Mobile Core/IMS. With Emblasoft, CSPs and network equipment manufacturers can:

• Simplify and automate performance analysis of new services, as part of active monitoring and continuous assurance processes.
• Confirm compatibility between equipment from different vendors in production environments.
• Ensure consistent quality across different traffic loads and scenarios.

Testing and validating RCS functionality with Emblasoft

RCS has gained significant traction in recent years, but fully verifying functionality creates a number of challenges for MNOs.

Find out how Emblasoft enables mobile network operators to validate RCS scenarios across the service lifecycle, at scale in test and production environments, to ensure that they can support their consumer customers and also generate revenue with B2B partners.

Emblasoft enables:

• Complete flexibility for RCS functional and performance testing
• Active monitoring in live environments for realtime KPIs
• Compare and validate test and production characteristics