Telecom networks carry more traffic than ever before. MNOs scaling 5G infrastructure face a core visibility challenge: line speeds are pushing toward 100G and beyond, while legacy monitoring tools were built for a fraction of that throughput. Without the right access and aggregation layer, monitoring tools receive incomplete data, security tools miss encrypted threats, and QoS degradation goes undetected until subscribers complain.
Network TAPs and packet brokers solve this at the infrastructure level. They provide passive, lossless access to live traffic, aggregate multi-link data streams, and distribute precisely filtered traffic to monitoring and security tools -- regardless of line speed. This guide compares six verified vendors delivering network monitoring solutions purpose-built for the demands of telecom infrastructure in 2026.
| Vendor | Key Strength | Max Throughput |
|---|---|---|
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Scale-out hybrid TAP/packet broker with 400G support and Drag-n-Vu™ GUI |
Up to 400G |
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GTP and 5G Correlation for subscriber-aware traffic distribution |
Up to 400G |
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Hardware-accelerated NPBs with zero packet loss and SSL/TLS decryption |
Up to 400G |
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Chassis-based NPBs with detection of 1,600+ applications and 400+ protocols |
Up to 400G |
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Modular Open Visibility Platform with TLS decryption and bypass switching |
Up to 400G |
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Carrier-grade NPBs with P4 programmable architecture and 1ns timestamping |
Up to 400G |
Network Critical's SmartNA-PortPlus delivers scalable packet brokering from 48 to 194 ports across 1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, and 100G speeds in a single RU chassis. The scale-out architecture allows telecom NetOps teams to start with a 48-port base unit and expand incrementally without replacing existing infrastructure or reconfiguring in-service ports. Additional units connect to the base chassis and operate as a unified system under a single management plane.
For 5G backhaul and core network environments, the SmartNA-PortPlus HyperCore supports up to 400G via 32 QSFP-DD interfaces, with an aggregate throughput of 25.6 Tbps. This makes it suited for MNOs managing the high-density, high-speed links that 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) backhaul demands. The platform supports aggregation of lower-speed monitoring tools against higher-speed links -- preserving existing tool investments while the network scales.
The SmartNA-XL combines TAP and packet broker functionality in a single 1RU modular chassis for 1G-40G environments, removing the need for separate TAP and broker devices on each link. All products are managed through Drag-n-Vu, Network Critical's graphical configuration interface, which uses a patented rule-generation engine to eliminate misconfiguration risk. A RESTful API enables automated filter and port mapping updates without manual intervention -- supporting the dynamic, high-change environments that telecom networks operate in.
The telecommunications network visibility page covers deployment specifics for telecom environments.
Proven results:
Gigamon's Deep Observability Pipeline delivers packet-level visibility across physical, virtualized, and containerized telecom infrastructure, including encrypted traffic. For MNOs, the platform's GigaSMART application suite provides telecom-specific capabilities not available in general-purpose packet brokers.
GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) Correlation enables mobile service providers to monitor subscriber data within GTP tunnels in 4G LTE and 5G core networks. 5G Correlation forwards subscriber sessions to specific monitoring tools by filtering on subscriber ID, user device, RAN node, or network slice ID -- enabling subscriber-aware load balancing across probe infrastructure. GTP-aware load balancing distributes encapsulated tunnel traffic across tools while maintaining session affinity, preventing related packets from being split across different tool instances.
Gigamon supports VoIP subscriber intelligence for fixed-network and wireline providers, in addition to its mobile network capabilities. The GigaVUE platform spans on-premises and private cloud deployments, with integrations for AWS, Azure, and major SIEM and analytics platforms.
Keysight's Vision NPB series delivers hardware-accelerated packet processing with zero packet loss across speeds from 1G to 400G. The platform supports SSL/TLS decryption to provide visibility into encrypted traffic -- a critical requirement as the proportion of encrypted traffic on telecom networks continues to rise. A dynamic filter compiler handles filter rule complexities automatically, reducing the engineering overhead associated with managing large filter sets across multi-link telecom deployments.
Keysight's Flex TAP range includes the Flex Tap VHD, which supports up to 36 TAPs in a single 1U chassis -- making it suited to high-density telecom Point of Presence (PoP) environments where rack space is constrained. iLink Aggregators provide passive aggregation of multiple links before traffic reaches the NPB layer. The broader Vision ONE platform integrates TAPs, NPBs, and management into a single operational framework, reducing the number of management interfaces teams must operate.
APCON's IntellaView chassis-based platform provides modular packet brokering with real-time processing of 100G network traffic. The HyperEngine module delivers automatic detection of over 1,600 applications and 400 protocols within the packet broker, enabling application-aware filtering and distribution without deploying separate deep packet inspection appliances inline.
The platform supports 400G QSFP-DD connections with multiple breakout speed options, accommodating telecom environments where a mix of legacy 10G links and newer 100G or 400G interfaces exist within the same monitoring domain. Chassis form factors range from 1RU to 9RU, providing scalability from individual cell site aggregation points through to central office and core network deployments. APCON's IntellaCloud extends visibility to cloud and hybrid environments, supporting MNOs operating virtualized network functions alongside physical infrastructure.
Niagara Networks' Open Visibility Platform combines network TAPs, packet brokers, and bypass switching in a modular, carrier-grade architecture. The platform supports physical, virtual, and cloud domains, making it applicable to MNOs managing hybrid 4G/5G network functions across on-premises and cloud-native infrastructure.
TLS decryption is integrated into the platform, enabling downstream security tools to receive decrypted traffic without deploying a separate decryption appliance -- reducing both cost and latency in the monitoring chain. Payload masking restricts what decrypted data is visible to specific tools, supporting data handling requirements in regulated telecom markets. The platform's bypass switching capability keeps inline security tools connected to live links while maintaining failsafe protection -- if a tool fails or is taken offline for maintenance, traffic continues to flow uninterrupted through the bypass path.
Niagara Networks supports passive and active TAP configurations across a wide range of fiber types and connector formats, accommodating the diverse cabling infrastructure that accumulates in long-established telecom networks.
Cubro is a European vendor producing carrier-grade TAPs and NPBs for service providers and large enterprises. The G5+ packet broker series is built on Intel's Tofino P4 programmable ASIC chipset, enabling per-packet programmability that can be adapted to specific telecom protocol handling requirements without hardware replacement. Cubro received ISO 27001:2022 certification in 2024, reflecting the security management standards expected by service provider customers.
The G5+ supports MPLS, GRE, NVGRE, VXLAN, ERSPAN, and GTP tunneling protocol handling -- directly relevant to MNOs monitoring virtualized RAN and core network overlay fabrics. Hardware timestamping resolution reaches 1 nanosecond, supporting latency measurement and service assurance use cases in real-time networks. Cubro's OptoSlim passive TAP series covers speeds from 10Mbps through 400G with no power requirement, and was selected as a Vodafone supplier for network visibility infrastructure. The Vitrum management platform provides a single-pane interface for managing Cubro devices, with topology visualization, traffic trending, and automated configuration backup.
5G backhaul and core links increasingly operate at 100G and above. Confirm that both the TAP and NPB layers support your current and projected maximum line speeds before procurement. A TAP that supports 100G but feeds an NPB limited to 40G creates a bottleneck that degrades monitoring accuracy under load. For MNOs planning 400G deployments, solutions such as the SmartNA-PortPlus HyperCore or Cubro's G5+ provide the necessary headroom.
Telecom networks carry encapsulated traffic across GTP, VXLAN, MPLS, and GRE tunnels. A packet broker that cannot parse tunnel headers cannot filter or distribute encapsulated subscriber sessions accurately. Confirm vendor support for the specific tunnel protocols present in your network before deployment, particularly if you're operating a virtualized Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G standalone core.
Networks grow in link count and line speed simultaneously. Architectures that require replacing the base chassis when adding ports or upgrading speeds impose unnecessary capital expenditure and operational disruption. Scale-out designs that add capacity incrementally -- while managing new and existing ports as a single system -- reduce both cost and engineering risk over the monitoring infrastructure lifecycle.
Before investing in new monitoring tools, evaluate whether a packet broker can extend the life of existing probes by aggregating higher-speed links and distributing traffic at speeds those probes can process. Load balancing features in NPBs allow a single probe to cover multiple 10G links fed from a 100G aggregation point -- a direct cost reduction that defers tool replacement.
Telecom monitoring infrastructures span large numbers of links across geographically distributed sites. Manual filter configuration across hundreds of ports is error-prone and slow. Look for platforms with graphical interfaces that abstract rule complexity, plus API support that allows filter and port mapping changes to be triggered automatically by orchestration systems or security tools -- particularly important in dynamic network slicing environments.
Any device placed in the monitoring path of a live telecom link must protect that link from failure. Passive fiber TAPs require no power and introduce no active failure modes. Active and bypass TAPs should include hardware failsafe circuitry that maintains the live link even during power loss or tool outage. Confirm failsafe specifications before deployment on any link carrying production subscriber traffic.
A network TAP is a hardware device that creates a passive copy of live traffic without touching the production link. Telecom networks need TAPs because SPAN ports drop packets under high load, consume switch resources, and can't provide the 100% capture accuracy required for QoS monitoring, regulatory compliance, and security analysis at 5G line speeds. TAPs provide lossless access to traffic regardless of throughput.
A network TAP provides physical access to traffic on a single link -- it copies the traffic and sends it to a monitoring output. A packet broker sits between multiple TAPs and multiple monitoring tools, aggregating traffic from many links, filtering out irrelevant data, and distributing the right traffic to each tool. Most telecom monitoring deployments use both: TAPs for link access and packet brokers for traffic management.
MNOs use packet brokers with integrated TLS decryption to inspect encrypted traffic before it reaches downstream security and analytics tools. The packet broker decrypts traffic inline, passes it to tools that require plaintext visibility, and can re-encrypt before forwarding where required. This approach avoids deploying separate decryption appliances on every link and centralizes the decryption function within the monitoring fabric.
Yes. Advanced packet brokers can filter and distribute traffic by network slice ID, enabling separate monitoring of individual slices without deploying dedicated monitoring infrastructure for each. Gigamon's 5G Correlation application and APCON's application-aware filtering both support slice-based traffic separation. This is particularly relevant for MNOs delivering enterprise 5G slices with distinct QoS and security monitoring requirements per customer.
The number of TAPs depends on the number of monitored links and the monitoring architecture. Large MNO deployments typically use TAPs on every critical backhaul, core, and peering link -- which can run to hundreds of TAP points. A packet broker aggregates traffic from multiple TAPs, so a single NPB can serve a large number of TAP points. Scale-out packet broker architectures allow MNOs to add TAP capacity without replacing existing NPB infrastructure.
Telecom networks can't afford visibility gaps. Incomplete monitoring leads to undetected performance degradation, missed security threats, and the subscriber churn that damages revenue and retention.
Network Critical's network TAPs and packet broker platform gives MNOs a monitoring foundation that scales from 1G legacy links through to 400G 5G core infrastructure -- in a single, unified management environment. The scale-out SmartNA-PortPlus architecture eliminates forklift upgrades, and the Drag-n-Vu GUI with RESTful API support reduces the operational overhead of managing large monitoring deployments. Proven in demanding environments at Vodafone, HSBC, and BP, Network Critical delivers the reliability that telecom monitoring demands.
To discuss your telecom network's visibility requirements or arrange a free network audit, speak to the Network Critical team.