Rohde & Schwarz this week announced that it has created an innovative portfolio for 5G NR device test solutions.
For developers of 5G devices, Rohde & Schwarz features the R&S CMX500 radio communication tester enabling non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) signaling tests now in both FR1 and FR2 frequency ranges.
For most mobile network operators, 5G will initially be an additional data service for transmission rates up to 20 Gbit/s. To allow developers to test their mobile devices in 5G NR non-standalone and standalone mode in line with 3GPP specifications, the test solution must accurately simulate both LTE and 5G NR networks. As a key solution, Rohde & Schwarz has developed the R&S CMX500 radio communication tester. It adds 5G capability to the company’s tried and tested LTE solutions such as the R&S CMW500 or R&S CMWflexx test system, allowing to perform testing from 2G to 5G on one platform. The extension box R&S CMX500 is capable of handling various FR1 and FR2, signaling and non-signaling as well as standalone and non-standalone test scenarios, from R&D to certification testing, said the Company.
Signaling test setup for FR1 and FR2 in non-standalone mode
A key functionality of the R&S CMX500 is signaling tests in FR2. In addition, the R&S CMX500 also supports signaling tests in FR1. The tests performed in non-standalone (NSA) mode feature both LTE and 5G connections. They verify LTE/5G signaling protocol behavior, OTA RF/TX measurements, end-to-end data testing with LTE & 5G bearers as well as mmWave OTA signaling and RF measurements.
Controlling 5G measurements with the R&S CMsquares
To control the 5G radio communication testers, the test setup includes the newly developed R&S CMsquares unified test software solution. Unlike other solutions in the market, CMsquares integrates the complete mobile network simulation with test configuration, parameterization, real time measurements and test result management in a single environment for all relevant use cases from RF parametric testing over protocol analysis to data end-to-end throughput tests.
