Aeroflex Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Aeroflex Holding Corp., announced the addition of critical voice and data testing capability for the 7100 LTE Digital Radio Test Set.

The Aeroflex 7100 Option 104 now has added test capability for simultaneous emulation of LTE data and 1X CDMA voice, which is known as SV-LTE (Simultaneous Voice–Long Term Evolution). The ability to test a voice channel and an LTE data channel within a single test system simplifies mobile handset testing. Simultaneous voice and data is a key performance technology that enables network operators to offer customers the advantages of LTE’s high data rates while maximizing the return on existing investment in current networks to provide widespread, cost-effective voice calling.

As LTE operators shift from supporting data-only devices to deploying mobile LTE handsets based on multiple radio access technologies (RAT), there is increasing demand for these devices to support voice call services over legacy 3G networks. Simulating both RATs in a single test system reduces test set up complexity and speeds up testing time.

The successful testing of SV-LTE is an important step in the three-phase rollout of LTE. In phase one, LTE networks are supporting only data-centric devices such as USB modems. In phase two, handset devices are being added that rely on fallback technologies (W-CDMA or 1X CDMA) for voice support. The third stage will introduce handset devices using the LTE network for both data and Voice over IP (VoIP) for the voice solution. Aeroflex test systems support operators during each phase of the rollout.

“Aeroflex has long supported CDMA, and since the 7100 was introduced it has become a market leader in LTE device test. As the LTE rollout continues, Aeroflex supports LTE operators as they test more complex multi-RAT capabilities on LTE devices,” said Michael Thorpe, Product Manager, Aeroflex Test Solutions.