Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies is successfully demoing carrier aggregation across FR1 (mid-band ~2.5 GHz) and FR3 (upper mid-band ~7 GHz) frequency ranges. You can catch it live at the Rohde & Schwarz booth (5A80) during MWC Barcelona 2026.
They’re running 4×4 MIMO on both bands with higher-order modulation to validate full end-to-end device performance across the combined spectrum.
All You Need to Know About The Demo
At the core is Rohde & Schwarz’s CMX500 one-box signaling tester, now supercharged with the new RFU18 board that stretches coverage up to 18 GHz. It’s a smart modular upgrade, customers can extend their existing testers cost-effectively without a full replacement.
Qualcomm brought their Mobile Test Platform (MTP) powered by the Qualcomm® Modem-RF System as the device under test, letting them thoroughly check RF performance and protocol behavior across both FR1 and FR3.
Why FR3 Matters for 6G
Industry experts call the FR3 range (7.125-24.25 GHz) the sweet spot, wide-area coverage meets massive capacity.
It’s perfect for killer apps like XR, connected/autonomous vehicles, and industrial automation, working in both terrestrial networks (TN) and non-terrestrial networks (NTN).
Future-Proof Testing with CMX500
The CMX500 is built for 6G from the ground up, a modular powerhouse handling RF-to-protocol testing across FR1, FR2, and FR3. Upgrade any existing unit with RFU18 and you’re ready.
It supports blazing 20 Gbps data rates, wide dynamic range, 4096QAM, and up to 16 antenna ports for advanced multiplexing. Plus full coverage of LTE/NR (SA/NSA), NR-NTN, NB-NTN, Direct-to-Cell, and even Wi-Fi 7/8.
Leadership Comments
Goce Talaganov, Vice President Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, said: “Through our ongoing collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, we continue to push the boundaries of wireless communications. As the ecosystem moves toward 6G, we’re showing how easy innovation can be with our test equipment. In response to customer demand, we are extending the CMX500 platform to 18 GHz – so that our customers gain headroom for FR3 evolution and higher-frequency emissions and harmonic testing.”
Tingfang Ji, Vice President of Engineering and Head of 6G Research at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. said: “Our collaboration with Rohde & Schwarz highlights the importance of aggregating existing spectrum bands with new 6G spectrum in FR3 to establish 6G as the high efficiency digital infrastructure for the 2030s. By validating new spectrum layers and advanced RF capabilities using our MTP powered by Qualcomm Modem-RF System, we are accelerating innovation across the ecosystem and helping prepare devices and networks for the next-generation of services.”
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