Technique for testing wireless network load produced by mobile app-carrying devices

A test apparatus for a wireless communications network, comprising:

• a simulator configured to simulate a wireless network for an application-carrying device separate from the test apparatus, and to simulate a positioning signal for the application-carrying device, wherein the positioning signal comprises information allowing the application-carrying device to determine one or more simulated positions, and wherein the application-carrying device includes at least one application, wherein the at least one application comprises a location-based application that uses the simulated position(s) as location input, and wherein the positioning signal comprises a satellite navigation signal, and wherein, to increase location determination accuracy, the satellite navigation signal comprises one or more of an AGPS signal, a GLONASS signal, a GALILEO signal, a Beidou signal, a COMPASS signal, an IRNSS signal and a QZSS signal;
• and
• a monitoring device configured to monitor a wireless communications interface between the simulated network and the application-carrying device, wherein the monitoring comprises measuring signaling data on a control plane, and measuring application data on a user plane related to the at least one application of the application-carrying device, and wherein the monitoring further comprises measuring power consumption data and data based on the simulated position(s) of the application-carrying device;
• and
• wherein the monitoring device is further configured to generate cross-layer measurement data based on the simulated position(s), the measured signaling data, the measured application data and the measured power consumption data,
• wherein the signaling data, the application data, the data based on the simulated position(s) and the power consumption data are measured based on a common time reference of the test equipment,
• wherein one or more control plane events are predefined as trigger events, and
• wherein the monitoring of the wireless communications interface is performed via multiple monitoring phases, each monitoring phase employing a different respective network configuration of the simulated wireless network that is based on a respective set of radio network controller (RNC) parameters.