Tomsk Team Develops Network Traffic Generator to Test Telecom Equipment
Commercial deployment of the new traffic generator is expected to begin in 2027.
Russia is developing a growing range of telecommunications equipment to strengthen technological independence, but ensuring that this hardware performs to its stated specifications requires advanced testing tools. Those tools, in turn, also need to be free of reliance on imported technologies.
Core Components Complete
Researchers at the Institute of Systems Integration and Security of Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR) are addressing that challenge by developing a network traffic generator for testing telecommunications equipment. The project is being carried out under the Prioritet 2030 (Priority 2030) program and has progressed well beyond the conceptual stage. All core components of the future system have now been completed, while the software is currently being integrated into the hardware platform.
"Russia is currently seeing increased production of domestically developed telecommunications equipment. That reflects both the withdrawal of major global telecom vendors from the Russian market and the country's drive toward technological independence. As domestic production expands, so does the need to test network equipment under high traffic loads to evaluate its reliability and its ability to withstand sustained network traffic under demanding operating conditions," explained Anton Konev, Deputy Director of TUSUR's Institute of Systems Integration and Security.
Commercial Interest Is Already Emerging
Konev also noted that Russia currently has no domestically developed network traffic generators. Most major market participants rely on systems from Keysight BreakingPoint (formerly Ixia), whose official operations in Russia have ceased. That has created a shortage of advanced network testing platforms.
The situation, however, could change significantly in the near future. In 2026, the researchers plan to complete a baseline version of the generator – a fully operational test bench capable of generating network traffic and evaluating the resilience of different switch and router platforms. TUSUR expects to begin providing commercial services in 2027. Companies including InfoTeCS and UserGate have already expressed interest in the project.
Multiple Deployment Scenarios
"In addition to testing the reliability of network equipment, we are also developing a version of the generator for testing computer networks themselves. That includes both enterprise local area networks and industrial networks equipped with specialized devices designed to ensure the reliable operation of technological processes," said Alexander Shelupanov, Director of TUSUR's Center for Technological Leadership.
Given current market conditions, demand for the Tomsk-developed platform is likely to be strong. UserGate, for example, explained last year that testing of its latest data protection platform required the use of Spirent CyberFlood and Keysight BreakingPoint systems because the Russian alternatives available at the time had several technical limitations.
Strategic Importance
In June, experts from the ANO Telekommunikatsionnoye oborudovaniye (Telecommunications Equipment Autonomous Non-Profit Organization) said Russian manufacturers are already capable of meeting up to 90% of domestic demand for certain categories of routers and switches. However, they also identified a significant gap in high-performance equipment designed for data centers. Load testing is one of the most critical stages in developing such systems. As a result, having domestic tools for traffic generation and analysis is essential for Russia's telecommunications industry, making the TUSUR project strategically important.
If the project is successfully completed, it will close a major infrastructure gap. Without domestically developed tools for generating and analyzing network traffic, import substitution in networking equipment remains incomplete.
