Context-aware heterogeneous network performance analysis: Test-bed development

The rapid growth in mobile and heterogeneous network has led to a massive increase in data traffic adding to the already significant challenges in network performance. Operators already face the problem that thousands of network incidents (e.g. dropped calls or packet delivery failures) remain unresolved due to the technological limitations. It is recognized that the use of network emulation/simulation test-beds are an valid approach to validate the network performance prior to rollout. This paper introduces the development of a context-aware heterogeneous network test-bed which allows network administrators to flexibly control both network topology and network traffic, as well as analyze network performance through output network events. The developed test-bed includes both open-source simulators and low-cost real life equipment. In order to demonstrate the benefit of the test-bed, cell congestion and handover use cases are implemented. SIP services are delivered over various radio network technologies including LTE, UMTS, WiMAX, GSM and WiFi. Various types of network events are provided as output for potential users, i.e. operators, network administrators, etc.