Viavi Solutions and Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) are extending their collaboration to provide integrated wireless lab test solutions. Leading wireless communication test firms that are also involved in standards development, the two companies are still addressing important requirements based on the latest O-RAN and 3GPP specifications.
Since the beginning of this collaboration, VIAVI and Rohde & Schwarz have built a solid reputation for providing seamless user experiences through small, adaptable solutions that use the capabilities of both businesses, affirmed the official release.
Open RAN
With many significant Tier-1 service provider deployment announcements, Open RAN has become widely used in network architecture. Test requirements have increased even though subsystem and end-to-end compliance, performance, and interoperability are still crucial.
Network Energy Saving. In 5G radio access networks, the bulk of power is used by O-RAN radio units (O-RU). O-RU energy efficiency is being prioritized by network equipment makers and service providers without compromising performance. With the help of VIAVI and Rohde & Schwarz, a fully automated testbed including the VIAVI TM500 O-RU Tester, the R&S NGP800 power supply, and the RTO6 oscilloscope has been designed to validate O-RU energy efficiency.
The TM500 O-RU Tester provides many test scripts to confirm O-RU energy efficiency under various load scenarios, synchronizes and configures the O-RU, and emulates the DU. Then, the R&S equipment can keep an eye on the dynamic device actions in relation to power consumption: By measuring power changes over time, the oscilloscope tracks energy dynamics under a variety of traffic situations, and the power supply not only powers the O-RU but also maintains excellent measurement precision and accuracy over an extended length of time. The testbed’s user experience is guaranteed to be flawless thanks to the VIAVI O-RU Test Manager Application.
Test Scalability. Development testing for O-RAN radios must go from lab validation of conformance to more extensive use case and functionality testing inside R&D when the technology enters the commercial market. Testing cost-effectiveness, speed, and simplicity are given top priority in these more recent use cases.
Together with the VIAVI TM500 O-RU Tester and VIAVI O-RU Test Manager Application, the R&S PVT360A is a small, single-box vector signal analyzer (VSA) and vector signal generator (VSG) that offers a more scalable solution. This simpler, more affordable setup is ideal for research and development teams that need multiple test lines to expedite time to market.
Non-Terrestrial Networks
The ability to assess the performance of NTN networks and the traffic that flows across them is necessary for satellite operators, mobile network operators, equipment suppliers, and end-user application developers. Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI have created an NTN digital twin testbed that spans Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) to accommodate a range of usage scenarios.
Use cases include evaluating end-to-end performance and connection; monitoring QoS over wide coverage regions with various UE types; assessing end-user application performance while accommodating UE and satellite mobility, speed, and distance; and guaranteeing stability and dependability. The test bed consists of:
- The R&S CMX500 mobile communication network tester, which includes all 3GPP fading profiles and offers channel emulation and fading in a single box.
- The VIAVI TM500-AS2, a streamlined variant of the flagship that is utilized for base station testing by international manufacturers of network equipment and completely compliant with the 3GPP protocol, incorporating Doppler and delay pre-compensation.
- The VIAVI TeraVM Real Data Applications (RDA) engine, which makes it possible to test system performance under various circumstances using rich and realistic application and traffic scenarios.
Key Comments
“It feels great to work with experts,” said Alexander Pabst, Vice President Market Segment Wireless Communications at Rohde & Schwarz. “Combining our market leading products to create solutions that address our customers’ problems in smart ways. Energy efficiency tests hit the nerve of the industry, and our smaller footprint setup meets the needs of new segments that are popping up left and right of conformance. In addition, I am extremely pleased to see our collaboration expanding into space with the most compact digital twin solution for NTN. Here, not even the sky is the limit!”
“Since we introduced joint O-RU conformance testing, R&S and VIAVI have been delivering on our vision of best-of-breed approach with a unified customer experience,” said Ian Langley, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Wireless Business Unit, VIAVI. “We are pleased to expand our partnership into new areas of demand, as O-RAN equipment enters commercial deployment and evolution, and the industry incorporates NTN to augment coverage in mobile communications.”
