The first Global Open Testing and Integration Center (OTIC) Summit was held in late August, and more than 190 participants from 12 countries representing network operators, government agencies, vendors, lab operators, academia and the O-RAN Alliance leadership team attended the event, said co-organizer Keysight Technologies, which put together the event along with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the O-RAN Alliance.
“Open RAN is making significant progress with increased lab testing, more field trials, and widespread global deployment plans,” said Peng Cao, VP and GM for Keysight’s wireless test group. “Keysight sees the OTICs playing an instrumental role in enabling the Open RAN ecosystem with its world-class test and integration lab capabilities and expertise. Keysight co-organized this first global OTIC summit with SUTD, IMDA, and O-RAN Alliance with the goal of strengthening collaboration among OTICs and Open RAN ecosystem partners to accelerate multi-vendors Open RAN deployments.”
Dr. Alex Choi, chairman of O-RAN Alliance and SVP of group technology at Deutsche Telekom, called the summit “a watershed moment in collaboration” that “[united] OTICs for the first time. This summit not only provided a unique platform for the exchange of knowledge, insights, and best practices but also, with Keysight’s invaluable support, showcased the forefront of technology with Singapore’s FCCLab emphasizing its O-RAN R&D and testing process.”
 “This event was held at just the right time, when OTICs began to flourish globally,” said Dr. Chih-Lin I, chief scientist of China Mobile and co-chair of the O-RAN Alliance’s technical steering committee, adding, “This endeavor will no doubt greatly accelerate the momentum and maturity of both Open RAN technology and its ecosystem.”
In other test news:
–Keysight Technologies also this week released the newest version of its Eggplant automated software solution for testing mobile apps; the company said that Eggplant 7.0 can test more than 7,500 operating system and device combinations through Sauce Labs’ Real Device Cloud, and that the upgrades include the ability to connect with virtualized application, new collaboration features.
-The Federal Communications Commission has given the green light on testing for Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) systems in the 6 GHz band. The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology has put out a public notice that lays out the testing process, which including both lab testing and a required public trial in which the systems are open for public use for 45 days; those tests can occur concurrently. Once AFC systems have passed the testing successfully, they will be approved for full commercial operations in the band. Full story here.
-The network emulator market is anticipated to reach $318 million by 2028, up from $218 million this year, says Markets & Markets in a new report. Those figures reflect a compound annual growth rate of nearly 8% per year through 2028, driven by the desire for “realistic and reliable testing environments in the telecommunications and networking sectors.”
“As networks evolve to accommodate burgeoning data traffic and emerging technologies such as 5G, edge computing, and IoT applications, there is an increasing need to assess these intricate systems’ performance, security, and resilience. Network emulators offer a sophisticated solution by accurately replicating real-world network conditions, enabling developers, researchers, and operators to comprehensively evaluate the behavior and limitations of their products and services,” the analysis company said.
-Emirati-based operator etisalat by e&Â said it has achieved 10 Gbps throughput on the 6 GHz band during a 5G Standalone trial. More details in this story.
–Rohde & Schwarz will be showcasing its millimeter-wave test solutions, with a particular focus on cutting-edge solutions for development of future 6G systems, European Microwave Week in Berlin, to be held later this month.
–Pasternack recently introduced new broadband gain horns for broadband testing and antenna characterization, which span from 0.8 GHz all the way up to 95 GHz and are available in gain variants of 6, 10, 12, 15 and 20 dBi. Fairview Microwave, meanwhile, launched a new family round mounts for standard gain horn antennas, with 19 variants for different waveguide sizes. Both companies are brands of Infinite Electronics.
