In an exclusive interview, C P Manoharan, Director of Business Development, APAC SOUTH at Spirent Communications, shares insights on how AI is transforming Ethernet evolution, network testing, and Open RAN performance. He discusses Spirent’s role in advancing Wi-Fi 7 testing and tackling 5G security challenges with cutting-edge solutions. Discover how hyperscalers, enterprises, and service providers are adapting to these technological shifts.
Read the full interview here:
TimesTech: What transformative role AI is playing in Ethernet’s evolutions and how are hyperscalers, service providers and enterprises are adapting to meet the challenge?
Manoharan: The surge of AI and cloud computing has catapulted Ethernet to the forefront of networking innovation, driving demand for faster, more efficient high-speed Ethernet solutions. As organizations scale their infrastructures to support emerging technologies, the need for robust, future-proof Ethernet solutions is more critical than ever. These developments are putting intense pressure on data centres to deliver more robust performance at ever-higher speeds. 800G is yet to be widely adopted and already stakeholders are eyeing 1.6T to meet anticipated needs. It’s not just the need for more speed, but more HSE overall. We are seeing significant demand from across hyperscale’s, NEMs, service providers, and large enterprises, while sectors like financial, healthcare, education, manufacturing and chipsets are propelling it further.
The impact of AI is changing the data center and interconnect ecosystem around it, making it necessary to rearchitect the network to support new performance and scalability requirements. As a result, the market will continue to see rapid migration to 400/800G and beyond. While hyperscalers are migrating to 800G, enterprises are not waiting on future developments to make progress and telecom operators are throwing out traditional playbooks to meet customers where they are in ambitious deployment cycles.
AI is changing the world around us and Spirent is taking a proactive approach with new tools, capabilities, and perspectives to capitalize on the new opportunities that follow.
TimesTech: How AI is powering network testing and assurance?
Manoharan: Artificial intelligence and machine learning has been moving into many aspects of network testing, from the field to service assurance, to fuel automation and increased efficiency. The role of AI in accelerating autonomous networking, with testing frameworks evolving from manual to fully automated to support AI-driven autonomy.
AI is not only used to test network components but also embedded within the tools to streamline processes. Real-world use cases demonstrate the dual role of AI in both enhancing test automation and being a subject of testing, particularly in areas like firewall security, network analytics, and data center infrastructure.
AI isn’t just transforming telecom network operations. It is evolving how these networks are tested, making testing tools more efficient, intelligent, and adaptive to network needs, with features that include:
Enhanced automation. AI is automating complex and repetitive testing tasks, such as those associated with setting up test scenarios, evaluating results, and making adjustments.
Synthetic test data and traffic generation. AI is drastically improving the ability to generate synthetic test data and traffic, including via digital twins. This is helping operators understand how networks would perform under various scenarios without the need for real-world data, which can often be sensitive or unavailable for certain use cases.
Enhanced intelligence. AI is being embedded into test and assurance tools to incorporate assistants that can manage configurations, analyse results, and make recommendations, conduct root cause analysis, and reference historical data to identify patterns and predict future issues.
Advanced fault detection and predictive testing. AI-powered testing tools can proactively detect anomalies that could result in faults, helping operators address them before they cause outages.
Continuous testing and closed-loop systems. AI is enabling continuous testing in lab and live environments versus legacy approaches that focused on isolated points in time. Real-time feedback loops help AI learn from the network and adjust on the fly for more consistent performance.
TimesTech: Multi-vendor strategies are gaining momentum encouraging innovation and flexibility through open standards and interfaces. What are the critical aspects of Open RAN performance testing?
Manoharan: Disaggregated architecture, open interfaces, virtualization, multi-vendor interworking, and cloud deployments are some of the many challenges that mandate comprehensive testing of the O-RAN CU, DU and the RU. End-to-end testing is critical as the disaggregated Open RAN is comprised of multiple elements potentially supplied by many vendors. Regardless of how many vendors are involved, it must be confirmed that all Open RAN pieces work together as a reaggregated system.
Open RAN expands the range of test considerations that must be addressed before an end-to-end system is ready to go live. These considerations span user equipment and disaggregated functions to the radios themselves. Spirent’s Open RAN solutions address the critical aspects of Open RAN performance testing which includes:
• Single user experience: Spirent’s O-RAN solutions integrate an ever-expanding set of test system components and instruments into a single user interface designed for O-RAN test cases, radically accelerating testing and reducing re-testing due to setup errors.
• Automation: A multi-vendor Open RAN brings an order of magnitude increase in the number and frequency of validation tests required and the complexity of the test environment. Spirent’s approach leverages its single user interface to automate test workflows, making it possible to keep up with Open RAN’s radically expanded set of multi-vendor releases.
• End-to-end emulation: Open RAN testing requires a comprehensive set of emulation capabilities covering the entire end-to-end network from UE, RF channel and 5G core emulation, to RU, DU, CU, and RIC emulation. Spirent incorporates all these emulation capabilities into a unified portfolio of solutions for performing nodal, adjacent, and full system testing of Open RAN functions. Infact, Spirent’s Open RU emulation runs in real-time and can be used with commercial handsets. In addition, Spirent’s 5G core emulation has unmatched support for 3GPP and industry-leading load-testing capabilities and the end-to-end test solution uses real traffic to assess true network and application performance, a first in the industry.
TimesTech: What are the new functionalities that Wi-Fi brings to the forefront and testing solutions that Spirent provides for Wi-Fi 7?
Manoharan: The industry is on the cusp of a new generation of wireless use cases, including multi-player gaming, augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), and even mission-critical enterprise and industrial applications. Along with huge increases in throughput, Wi-Fi 7 introduces new techniques to meet more fine-grained performance requirements—and meet them consistently enough for critical real-time applications. Wi-Fi 7 features:
- Improved uplink/downlink performance to minimize delays between devices and the cloud
- Reduce delay for applications like multi-player gaming and AR/VR
- Enable deterministic latency and quality for real-time industrial applications
- Increase efficiency by improving performance, load balancing, and reliability
Spirent’s Octobox testbed is a customizable set of isolated chambers and instruments for testing over-the-air (OTA) Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7 by simulating real world environments such as interference, traffic, and mesh handover, in a stable, automated, repeatable testing environment. The system supports Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 and TR-398 performance standards. The testbed is configured with multiple chambers to mimic conditions found in homes, offices, and other environments and reduces wireless testing from weeks to hours.
As a leader in wireless testing solutions, Spirent is at the forefront, enabling in-depth testing and validation for new Wi-Fi advances. Spirent is actively working across the industry to understand the implications of new wireless standards for customers and what’s needed to test and characterize their performance. That includes working directly with leading wireless equipment and device manufacturers but also participating in industry groups like the Wi-Fi Alliance and IEEE. Spirent currently serve on multiple Wi-Fi Alliance task groups, including leading the group that developed the Wi-Fi 7 Device Metrics Test Plan.
TimesTech: Against 5G network threats how do Spirent solutions help CSPs and NEMs address the security challenges of 5G?
Manoharan: 5G network equipment manufacturers and service providers need trusted guidance on how to integrate security into 5G deployments, and continuously assess the effectiveness of the security they’ve put in place, and how to focus on innovation rather than risk.
Spirent recognizes that a new breed of Security Test and Assurance is required that can seamlessly and continuously operate across the lifecycle as solutions are developed, deployed, operated, and transitioned through digital supply chains.
Spirent’s security focus is prioritized towards three key areas:
• Realistically testing security performance and efficacy to reduce risks and costs
• Certifying suppliers and supply chains to enhance efficiency and build trust
• Continuously assessing and auditing security in both the lab and live networks to harden resilience and reduce compromises. To meet these priorities, Spirent offers a broad range of capabilities and solutions that facilitate 5G security testing, auditing, supplier certification, and validation, including:
Continuous Assessment and Validation solutions:
• VisionWorks: a rugged virtual test platform that emulates realistic user activity to proactively test 5G networks and services.
• CyberFlood Data Breach Assessment: delivers accurate, automated, continuous and thorough assessment of live 5G production network environments, using an always-up-todate database of hyper-realistic attack, malware, data loss prevention, and applications scenarios.
Automated test tools and emulators:
• CyberFlood: a testing platform that generates realistic application traffic and attacks to test the performance, scalability and security of 5G infrastructures.
• 5G Digital Twin: a new agile, automated approach to testing and assurance providing an emulated, software replica of the 5G physical network.
Consultancy and test services:
• SecurityLabs: provides comprehensive scanning, penetration testing, and monitoring of 5G networks, applications, devices and endpoints.
• Test-as-a-Service: offers continuous supplier validation as a managed service and allows CSPs to war-game future risks and mitigations.
Spirent provides end-to-end capabilities across all dimensions of the 5G security challenge, including security across the 5G supply chain.
