TRIANGLE Project

The TRIANGLE testbed is a complex solution composed of several different and heterogeneous tools and instruments. In order to manage such complexity and successfully run experiments, an orchestration and management framework (OMF) is needed. In particular, there is the need to describe and sequence the actions that must be performed within each experiment.

The original plan for the TRIANGLE testbed was to use the well-known and open source OMF originally developed by Rutgers University. While the tool has several advantages in facilitating complex deployments, in the first year of the TRIANGLE project it was proven to be unsatisfactory as a tool for time-based and time-critical experiments. If we think about LTE and other wireless technology, the timing resolution for creating a scripting solution for describing an experiment is in the order of tenth of milliseconds. The OMF could not provide such time accuracy. For this reason, the consortium decided to move to the Test Automation Platform (TAP) Developer’s System provided by Keysight Technologies, newly released in October 2016.

The TAP Developer’s System is a new and intuitive way of creating tests and experiments that require the orchestration and management of complex testbeds and workbenches. TAP is used to create the tests (scripts) and to run the test in an automated fashion. It is a scripting and sequencing solution that was devised to support Keysight products. TAP has a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows drag and drop of pre-coded basic “steps” (single instructions) that can be parametrized arbitrarily. Its modular and flexible structure enables the TRIANGLE team to easily design additional plugins to orchestrate all the hardware and software components present in the testbed with the desired time resolution for wireless-based experiments. Furthermore, the TAP’s drag and drop graphical user interface would speed up not only the development of test cases and experiments by the TRIANGLE projects, but also ease the approach to the testbed by external researchers and experts that would like to have full control over their experiments.

The 5G manifesto is essentially an open letter signed by 17 telcos, equipment vendors and satellite operators across Europe and sent to European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Günther Oettinger, in July 2016. This manifesto makes recommendations on how the EU can support 5G deployment, as well as timelines for 5G commercial deployment. Industry in Europe needs to lead the deployment of standardised 5G networks from 2020. In this article, we attempt to bring you an outline of the 5G Manifesto and what it means to 5G device manufacturers and application developers and operators needing to test and benchmark on state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Here is an excerpt from the 5G Manifesto: “5G has the potential to deliver substantial performance and capacity improvements…and to provide a suitable communication solution basis for many vertical applications…5G is about the seamless interworking of different network technologies, mobile, fixed as well as satellite, and their co-existence within a common infrastructure of standardised and customer specific networks or IT functionalities, designed to fit vertical industries as well as consumers to broaden digital inclusiveness.”

It is expected that vertical industries and the public sector will bring new and innovative solutions to market by harnessing 5G services such as enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine type communications and ultra-reliable and low-latency communications, as currently being standardised within 3GPP and ITU. Examples of vertical industries are transport, logistics, automotive, health, manufacturing, energy, media, entertainment and public sector includes smart cities, public safety and education. (more…)

TRIANGLE partner UCL promotes funding opportunities for 5G in TRIANGLE via CognitionX , and how the Artificial Intelligence community can benefit from the upcoming mobile standard.

Keysight Technologies has issued a press release about TRIANGLE End-to-End Testbed for 5G in which Keysight will showcase End-to-End test house concept, introducing new holistic approach spanning from the mobile app and device to the EPC and the network services and introducing new KPI for new applications and devices benchmarking.

The TRIANGLE project has produced a deliverable D2.1, to provide an initial report on 5G scenarios, use cases and requirements. You can also find it in the deliverables page.

The TRIANGLE Project has opened the application process for the first open calls.

Do you have a product that is focused on or oriented towards 5G? The TRIANGLE test bed is ready to help you testing and improving your products, and making you truly ready for 5G. With the help of the TRIANGLE experts you can test your mobile App, mobile or IoT device, your Service provisioning system, your RAN or network component using the latest technological advances in wireless networking.

An Open Call is an opportunity for exploiting the extensive features of the TRIANGLE test bed for your project, receiving help and support from the experts of the TRIANGLE consortium, and receiving funding for it. We are offering up to 20.000€ to help you experimenting, testing and getting a certification mark, and up to 100.000€ to incorporate your technology into our test bed.

The open calls will be open from September 1st to October 31st, 2016.

The TRIANGLE project has produced a whitepaper on 5G Benchmark-as-a-Service. You can also find it in the resources page, along with other papers, videos and additional materials.

The TRIANGLE project was presented and demonstrated at the EuCNC’16 conference this week. The project presented a paper during the conference, describing the concepts behind the TRIANGLE testing and benchmarking system.

EuCNC 2016 has just finished but the Triangle project left its mark! Thanks to the enhanced visibility offered by the hosting of the demo in the booth of Keysight Technologies, Golden Patron of the conference, the demo was visited by a high number of attendees of the conference, with more than 50 dedicated personal demonstrations.

The demo was well received as an initial step promoting the new concept of End-to-End and Mobile Application testing, confirming the importance of such a concept for the 5G ecosystem. The discussion with the attendees, mostly composed by partners in FIRE or 5GPPP Horizon2020 projects, led to a new and inclusive definition of our philosophy as “Over The Service Testing” – proof the audience clearly understood our project goal.

Most of the other projects present at the conference showed high interest in our Open Calls, making Triangle an attractive research partner with whom to create liaisons or joint experiments. We hope that most of the newly created contacts will pursue their initial thoughts and intentions and join us in an exciting future in Triangle!

The TRIANGLE project will be both presented and demonstrated at the EuCNC’16 conference that will be held in Athens, Greece on June 27^th-30^th 2016. The project will present a paper, during the conference, describing the philosophy and concepts behind the TRIANGLE testing and benchmarking system.

TRIANGLE will also be hosted in the Keysight booth in the exhibition area, and the project will showcase most of the currently available test bed capabilities with a demo that will run throughout the conference.

The conference will be also an opportunity to promote the Open Call that will give an opportunity to developers and technology providers to either test their own products or contribute to the further development of the test bed capabilities.

Come and visit us at the Keysight booth at EuCNC’16 in Athens!

But what are we showing?

The main difference compared to traditional testing is its new holistic approach spanning from the mobile App and device to the EPC and the network services. Centered around the UXM Wireless Test Set, that offers radio access with the capability of flexibly creating RAN operational conditions, the test bed will include tools and methods for performing GUI and connectivity testing in mobile apps provided by the TRIANGLE project partners, supporting testing and benchmarking in different usage scenarios.

Key technical test challenges and performance points:

• Mobile application GUI and connectivity testing
• Mobile device testing
• RF and PHY measurements
• IP and connectivity measurements
• Automated orchestration of the test bed components

The TRIANGLE project presented on 5G End-to-End testing as part of the discussion on the current 5G trials and test beds during the IWPC Workshop on 5G Trials and Initiatives towards 2020 that was held in Seoul, South Korea on April 25^th-27^th 2016.

The International Wireless Industry Consortium (IWPC) is a highly recognized forum that gathers together all the actors of the telecommunications supply chain, from material producers, to device manufacturers, to mobile network operators.

The Workshop focused on the ongoing initiatives, especially in Asia and US, for the development of pre-standard test beds, systems, and prototypes. While most of the Mobile Network Operators present expressed the intention to focus mostly on the evolution of 4G technologies below 6GHz, Korea Telecom (KT) are making a tremendous effort to provide a pre-standard test deployment in 28GHz by 2018 for the Winter Olympics.

The TRIANGLE presentation on End-to-End testing raised a lot of interest in the audience, leading to good discussions with mobile operators and device manufacturers that provided valuable feedback to the project on latest topics being investigated and prioritized.

The presentation can be downloaded here.