Aeroflex and the Beijing StarPoint Telecommunication Software Co. have agreed to jointly develop the first full TD-SCDMA protocol conformance test system.
TD-SCDMA is the 3G technology standard being developed by the Chinese Academy of Telecommunication Technology (CATT) that is expected to be the primary 3G technology in use during next year’s Beijing Olympics. With TD-SCDMA mobile terminal and base station technology now reaching maturity, the protocol conformance test system to be jointly developed by Aeroflex and Beijing StarPoint will support its commercial roll-out. It will both speed up and decrease the cost of deployment by reducing the requirement for extensive field and interoperability trials. To expedite the development of the TD-SCDMA protocol conformance test system, both companies will make available technology for the project from its existing products.
Putting the agreement into context, Stephen Hire, Aeroflex Asia’s director of marketing, said, “Apart from Beijing StarPoint’s SP6010 mobile terminal tester, only relatively simple test equipment such as signal generators and spectrum analyzers has been available to date for TD-SCDMA. Our agreement with Beijing StarPoint marks a significant milestone in the development of the sophisticated protocol conformance test systems needed to support the rapid roll-out of TD-SCDMA.”
Xu Guo Xin, CEO of Beijing StarPoint Telecommunication Software Co., replied, “With around 500 million mobile phone subscribers, making China the world’s largest single market, the opportunity for TD-SCDMA is enormous. Our agreement with Aeroflex will ensure the rapid development of a full TD-SCDMA protocol conformance test system and reinforce our ability to meet early market demand for comprehensive TD-SCDMA test solutions.”