Mu Dynamics is extending its application testing know-how to Long Term Evolution (LTE) with a new set of tools designed specifically to test the all-IP 4G network.

Mu Studio for LTE, announced Monday, was built on Aricent Inc. 's LTE software and is targeted at network equipment manufacturers and wireless operators looking to measure how more than 2,000 apps and devices affect their LTE network performance and security. Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) is among the first to use the new toolset.

According to the company, the testing platform is the first to test how the Evolved Packet Core performs in real-world conditions as opposed to synthetic traffic. The Service Provider Information Technology (SPIT) vendor models app traffic in real time to ensure the network detects the app or identifies security attacks, that billing and charging functions are working based on specific apps and users and that quality-of-service policies are in place. The software also tests the scalability and resiliency of the network to make sure it can manage the traffic.

"Applications are growing virally," says Mu Dynamics' VP of Products Simon Berman. "You can have millions of users in a period of hours, so you need a much more agile solution that can deal with that."

LR Mobile caught up with Berman in San Francisco for a run-down on the new testing suite and some insight into which apps are the most chatty:

Why this matters
Having reliable LTE networks will be vital for wireless operators as consumers won't be as forgiving as they were on 3G. And that applies no matter how many apps -- or what kind -- are running on the network. Software such as Mu's, that simulates real traffic, is important to understanding what effect apps have on the network, how to handle them and, potentially, how to monetize them. (See LTE's Promise Depends on Network Testing.)

For more
Read up on Mu's testing smarts below.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile