Epitiro, the broadband communications authority, today announced ISP-I(TM) WiMAX, the world's first 'software as a service' (SaaS) test solution for WiMAX service providers and manufacturers.

ISP-I(TM) WiMAX covers the key stages from device manufacture, to subscriber pre-test deployment and ultimately to in-life operation - providing key performance indicator (KPI) information at every stage. ISP-I(TM) WiMAX reports real-time IP-based service delivery metrics (not simulated) based on the quality of actual services as experienced by subscribers.

"The variable QoS requirements of simultaneous VoIP, video streaming and data activity requires careful testing in the lab, pre and post deployment, especially during peak contention periods. The scheduling algorithms, likely to be a key area of differentiation among equipment vendors, need to be thoroughly tested, monitored and understood," said JP Curley, Epitiro's chief technical officer, "Operators must manage each subscriber's experience of WiMAX services or risk losing out to rival vendors or technologies."

Epitiro's ISP-I(TM) WiMAX is a unique 'software as a service' solution enabling service providers to get subscriber experience information quickly without the installation delays, training costs and large capital investment typically required with test equipment purchases. Moreover, ISP-I(TM) WiMAX empowers service providers with performance views of competitor networks enabling direct comparisons and a means of benchmarking performance in context of the overall market.

Based on Epitiro's renowned ISP-I(TM) subscriber experience analysis platform, ISP-I(TM) WiMAX has extensive KPIs for broadband analysis and voice-over-WiMAX quality. In addition to a number of hardware interfaces, ISP-I WIMAX also measures subscriber experience with isposure(TM), a software application that scales to unlimited coverage.

Epitiro's report-generating capability allows users to quickly and easily see test performance data in a variety of formats. The powerful and flexible report generation, including web browser access to all reports, provides users with performance views of both their own network and their competitors.

"ISP-I(TM) WiMAX combines our expertise in broadband and voice analysis with our new interface technology to ensure successful WiMAX network installations," said Curley. "We're excited to bring this much needed solution to market."