VIAVI Solutions Validates Battelle RavenStar as First O-RAN and 3GPP Compliant Antenna at VALOR Lab.
VIAVI Solutions has announced a groundbreaking achievement in the Open RAN space, validating the Battelle RavenStar Active Antenna System as the first product to fully comply with O-RAN and 3GPP test specifications at VALOR, the VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN.
This validation was carried out under the auspices of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, aimed at enhancing wireless infrastructure resilience and promoting innovation.
VALOR: Transforming Open RAN Testing and Certification
VALOR (VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN), is revolutionizing the testing landscape for Open RAN technologies.
Traditionally, rigorous testing and certification processes have been financially out of reach for many start-ups and smaller companies. VALOR addresses this challenge by offering a cost-effective, highly automated, and on-demand “pay-as-you-go” testing model. This approach democratizes access to industry-standard test capabilities, enabling more players to participate in the growing Open RAN ecosystem.
Funded by the NTIA Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, VALOR plays a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of Open RAN by providing essential testing infrastructure. The lab focuses on ensuring that Open RAN components meet stringent industry standards, facilitating faster market entry and supporting a competitive marketplace.
Battelle RavenStar: Pioneering Antenna Innovation
The Battelle RavenStar Active Antenna System represents a significant advancement in antenna technology. This ultra-wideband, steerable radio unit integrates an advanced antenna system within a compact form factor.
Designed and manufactured in the United States, RavenStar offers multichannel capabilities typically associated with costly and complex multi-element arrays. This design innovation results in reduced total cost of ownership due to lower power consumption and simplified deployment.
RavenStar’s advanced features include massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, which significantly enhances network capacity and spectral efficiency. Its ultra-wideband capability allows it to support multiple frequency bands, making it adaptable to various deployment scenarios, including urban, suburban, and rural networks.
Comprehensive Testing and Outstanding Performance
At VALOR, RavenStar underwent an extensive suite of Open Radio Unit (O-RU) tests to validate its performance against O-RAN and 3GPP standards. The testing regimen included:
- PHY Performance Testing:Utilizing VIAVI’s industry-first physical layer (PHY) performance test to measure uplink and downlink throughput, latency, and signal integrity.
- O-RAN WG4 Open Fronthaul Test Cases:Evaluating the interoperability and performance of RavenStar’s fronthaul interface with other Open RAN components.
- Environmental and Stress Testing:Assessing RavenStar’s resilience under various environmental conditions and operational stress factors.
RavenStar successfully passed all tests, achieving an impressive 99% of theoretical uplink and downlink throughput, demonstrating its capability to deliver high-performance connectivity in real-world scenarios.
Effectiveness of VALOR’s Lab-As-A-Service Model
The successful validation of RavenStar at VALOR marks a significant step forward for the Open RAN ecosystem. It highlights the effectiveness of VALOR lab-as-a-service model in enabling innovation and fostering a more competitive and diverse wireless infrastructure market.
By lowering the barriers to entry for new vendors and promoting rigorous, standardized testing, VALOR is helping to accelerate the deployment of Open RAN solutions globally. This development aligns with broader industry efforts to create a more open, flexible, and resilient wireless network infrastructure.
Leadership Comments
“When Battelle secured NTIA funding, we recognized the importance of testing our pre-production radio unit at an industry-accepted third-party facility,” said Battelle Senior Research Scientist Greg Zink. “VIAVI is the ideal partner to provide essential test results for our RavenStar technology. These results will guide our design and development decisions as we progress towards our production unit and beyond.”
“Successful testing at the VALOR facility is a significant milestone for Battelle and the RavenStar team, reflecting our dedication to developing technologies that make a real difference,” said Mark Reudink, Senior Director of Product Development at Battelle. “Partnering with VIAVI to validate our radio units is critical to success. We are excited about the future possibilities as we continue progressing our product offering.”
“VIAVI is pleased to be trusted by NTIA and Battelle to validate Open RAN readiness for deployment,” said Erik Probstfield, Senior Director, VALOR, VIAVI. “In addition to successfully validating performance of the RavenStar radio unit, we demonstrated the power of VALOR. The rapid progress from the launch of the lab to first test results has been driven by the unique efficiencies built into our architecture – for example, our ability to integrate with devices under test in just a few hours.”
