Keysight Technologies Inc. announced the company's 5G Conformance Toolset was first to submit 5G new radio (NR) non-standalone (NSA) RF test cases for PTCRB validation approval in frequency range 2 (FR2), as well as for 5G NR standalone (SA) protocol test cases in frequency range 1 (FR1), accelerating market introduction of 5G NR mobile devices.
Leading mobile operators around the world are deploying 5G technology to deliver fixed wireless access to homes and businesses, as well as to support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) applications. Initial 5G deployments in the U.S. will leverage mmWave (FR2). Future deployments will also use the 5G NR SA mode, which relies on an upgraded 5G core network and 5G radio access network (RAN), to support subsequent rollouts of 5G services and use cases.
PTCRB is a certification forum consisting of leading U.S. mobile operators. Following last week's PTCRB validation group #85 meeting in Helsinki, Finland, Keysight strengthened its leadership in validating and/or submitting the greatest number of 5G NR test cases for ratification by PTCRB for RF and protocol in NSA and SA modes. Keysight's 5G Conformance Toolset continues to offer unique validation coverage for 5G NR standalone, which also plays an important role in accelerating 5G NR mobile device certification for commercial introductions around the world.
"By being first to submit 5G NR test cases for PTRCB validation approval, Keysight is enabling mobile operators to speed up their ability to deliver on the promise of 5G and capitalize on early commercial 5G NR deployments," said Kailash Narayanan, vice president and general manager of Keysight's wireless test group. "We're proud to once again showcase our 5G technology leadership position which was achieved as a result of our close collaborations with market makers, as well as our significant contributions to the 5G NR standards."
Protocol and RF conformance tests are a key enabler for chipset, device manufacturers and test labs to validate the performance of new 5G designs. Mobile operators and their ecosystems use Keysight's 5G network emulation solutions to validate new devices across the workflow, from early design to acceptance and manufacturing for both FR1 and FR2. Keysight combines its network emulation solutions with a wide range of purpose-built and proven chambers to deliver comprehensive mobile device performance validation capabilities in over-the-air (OTA) test environments. The solution suite, adopted by all major chipset and device makers, supports a leading number of carrier acceptance 5G NR RF and protocol test cases as mandated by major U.S. mobile operators.
Since the beginning of this year, Keysight has obtained initial GCF approval for validated 5G NR NSA test cases and has enabled the activation of GCF certification for 5G NR standalone devices. Keysight's 5G Conformance Toolset offers the widest range of GCF 5G NR radio frequency and protocol test cases for NSA and SA modes.