Viavi Solutions has introduced what it calls the first “true” 5G base station analyzer, designed to support large-scale network deployments.
CellAdvisor 5G brings Viavi’s longtime CellAdvisor base station analyzer line for validating and troubleshooting the Radio Access Network into the 5G era. With early 5G deployments either in the works or slated for 2019, Viavi said, the technicians and contractors who will be doing the installation and activation of the 5G RAN need test instruments that are portable, easy to use and have the necessary features. Viavi said that the unit’s capabilities include support for analyzing beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output and carrier aggregation, up to 100 megahertz of channel bandwidth in sub-6GHz frequencies and up to 400 megahertz in millimeter wave bands; and spectrum and interference analysis in both sub-6 GHz and mmWave bands.
“VIAVI has taken an early lead in 5G testing, and continues to expand its investments,” said Kevin Oliver, VP and GM for converged instruments and virtual test at Viavi, in a statement. “Virtually every 5G base station in the field today has been verified in the lab using VIAVI instruments and systems. Now, as a number of leading carriers are moving from the lab to large-scale field deployments, CellAdvisor 5G will be the fundamental tool that technicians and contractors will need to install and maintain these 5G deployments.”
In other test news:
–Keysight Technologies scored a major 5G test win with China Mobile, saying that it has been chosen by the carrier for comprehensive test support for its commercial 5G deployments, from design to deployment and optimization and covering Layers 1 through 7.
–Rohde and Schwartz says it has “completely revised” both the hardware and software for the latest generation of its R&S OSP open switch and control platform, to support the large frequency range and fast switching times for switch and control that are needed to test 5G and modern radar systems.
Rohde said that the new R&S OSP220/230/320 units and R&S OSP-B200S2 satellite box have a new web interface that gives users full control of the platform, and that separate software is no longer needed in order to configure one of its OSPs. The satellite box supports remote operations, such as in a shielded test chamber.
Rohde & Schwarz also unveiled a new power supply series for educational use, as well as in production and research and development; and recently highlighted a compact antenna test range system for conducted radiated measurements on 5G devices that use 20 GHz to 87 GHz millimeter wave spectrum .CATR testing uses indirect far field technology for characterizing devices that use active antenna arrays, Rohde said, and added that the approach has been approved by 3GPP for certified testing of new 5G mobile devices.
–PCTel has appointed a new CFO, who currently serves as the company’s VP of finance and corporate controller. Kevin McGowan joined PCTel in 2005 and has been in his current role since 2010; he will take over as CFO on Dec. 1. David Neumann, CEO of PCTel, said that McGowan’s rise to the role of CFO fulfills the company’s succession plan; outgoing CFO John Schoen has been in that role for 17 years.
–Intel, Juniper Networks, Lenovo and SDNLAB have jointly launched a new Tungsten Fabric Performance Lab in partnership with the Linux Foundation Fund that will support testing of edge computing use cases. Tungsten Fabric is an open source networking platform that is integrated with private cloud stacks, and the new lab is aimed at becoming an open source test and verification environment for TF and other software-defined network projects. SDNLAB hosts the lab, which is based in Nanjing, China.
“Continuous integration and automated testing are critical pieces for any environment supporting edge use cases, especially in highly distributed production environments,” said Randy Bias, VP of technology for open source software at Juniper Networks, in a statement. “When you consider the diversity of vendors and use cases in edge, the testing and integration problem is even more acute. Tungsten Fabric Performance Lab will provide the infrastructure and tooling that both vendors and users need to deliver reliable and performant applications and network services, from the core to the edge.”
–Mentor introduced a printed circuit board design platform that puts new emphasis on comprehensive virtual prototyping. The Xpedition PCB design platform is aimed at non-specialist PCB designers, the company said, and combines a range of aspects from power integrity analysis and thermal simulation to vibration analysis and design for fabrication, assembly and testing in order to put together accurate early, virtual design prototypes and minimize the number of re-designs.
