Test and Measurement: Progress on 3-component-carrier aggregation

• Rohde & Schwarz announced this morning that it was able to simulate an LTE-Advanced network with three-component-carrier carrier aggregation in the downlink and sustain full protocol stack data rates for LTE category 9, classified as up to 450 Mbps in the downlink.

The test relied on a device with the latest LTE-A modem from Qualcomm Technologies, which, by the way, announced yesterday that its Snapdragon 810 processor – commercially available early next year – adds support for 3CC carrier aggregation, the first of its Snapdragon line to do so.

R&S said that its CMW500 wideband radio communication tester is the only test platform to currently offer both RF and protocol tests for Cat 9 devices, and that the testing achievement “gives mobile operators a clear path to the commercial launch of LTE-A [3CC] Carrier Aggregation.” Some mobile operators have started implementing 2CC CA in their networks, but 3CC would give the ability to aggregate three channels of up to 20 MHz in order to achieve even greater speeds. 

R&S’ news is just the latest development in the advance of 3CC CA, which is gaining momentum in the testing space. Cobham Wireless, formerly Aeroflex, announced testing capability for the feature this past spring. In November, both Keysight Technologies and Anritsu said that they had performed successful demonstrations of the ability to test 3CC CA.

• In app-related test and measurement news, Microsoft has acquired mobile app testing company HockeyApp, which provides beta testing enablement and mobile crash analytics for developers who are building apps for iOS, Android and Windows phones. Microsoft said it will be introducing new software development kits based on HockeyApp’s features in the coming months. 

• Fresh from its spin-off from Agilent Technologies, Keysight Technologies is putting particular focus on testing software and services in addition to its hardware. Read more from my interview with Mark Wallace, VP and GM of field operations for Keysight in the Americas, and a longtime veteran of the company that now has its own name and direction after being part of both Agilent and Hewlett-Packard.

That software focus was clear this week, as the company made several new product launches. It released the latest version of its BenchVue PC application, which has automatic configuration for ease-of-use and offers visibility across multiple instruments. Keysight also introduced mobile high-definition link compliance testing software for MHL transmitters used in mobile phones and tablets.

• Here’s a recent video interview with Nandish Chalishazar, director and head of engineering for the analytics business unit at Azimuth Systems. We talked about the role of device/network interactions and testing them, particularly in light of advancing network technologies and very sophisticated devices.

“I think there’s a big need out there to understand the whys and what’s going on with different operators and devices on the network,” he said. Watch the interview:

• Also, check out RCR’s coverage this week from the IEEE event in Austin, Texas, like this story on National Instruments’ 5G prototyping. Our video team was busy and you can watch coverage from the event through our IEEEComSoc GlobeCom playlist on our YouTube channel.