The US-based electronics test and measurement equipment and software maker Keysight Technologies said that it has extended its collaboration with NTT DOCOMO. Now, the test automation firm is providing 5G network emulation solutions for characterizing and validating new 5G New Radio mobile devices intended to operate on the leading mobile operator’s 5G network.
The company informed that its 5G NR network emulations solutions enable NTT DOCOMO to assess the performance of new 5G mobile devices and address new technical challenges of deploying a 5G network at mmWave frequencies.
Keysight claimed that its solutions allow users to validate the protocol signaling and Radio Frequency (RF) performance of 5G New Radio mobile devices in a laboratory environment. On the other hand, the company asserted that its mmWave over-the-air (OTA) test capabilities combine network emulation solutions with anechoic chamber like Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR), which is consistent with 3GPP’s decisions approving the chamber as an indirect far field test methodology.
“Keysight’s mmWave and 5G test capability in OTA environments enable us to accelerate our 5G commercialization plans and ensure that new 5G mobile devices will operate reliably on our network,” said Toshiyuki Futakata, vice president and general manager of Communication Device Development Department, NTT DOCOMO. “Collaboration with Keysight includes refining highly-specialized technology necessary for testing 5G devices in an OTA environment.”
Keysight is also collaborating with NTT DOCOMO to develop specific test scenarios for their mobile ecosystem to ensure new 5G mobile devices will operate as expected on their network. This enables NTT DOCOMO’s ecosystem to reduce R&D efforts and accelerate market introductions of new 5G mobile devices.
Keysight partnered with different companies to introduce 5G network emulation solutions, including 5G Protocol R&D and RF Design Verification Toolsets, which both support the 3GPP Release 15 5G NR standard. Keysight and NTT DOCOMO initiated their close collaboration on 5G technology in 2015 to develop mmWave technology for effective deployment of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services in support of key 5G use cases.
“We are excited to be closely collaborating with NTT DOCOMO to meet their strategic goals of successful deployment of 5G commercial services by 2020,” said Kailash Narayanan, vice president and general manager of Wireless Test business at Keysight Technologies. “Keysight’s first-to-market 5G solutions, breadth of our solution portfolio and metrology expertise are enabling leading mobile operators and their ecosystems to accelerate 5G development and deployment.”
