Exfo and Rohde & Schwarz announced a partnership to accelerate testing and measurement for the installation, commissioning, maintenance and troubleshooting of mobile communications systems. Both companies offer complementary solutions. The Canadian manufacturer specializes in optical test solutions while the German manufacturer is specialized in RF instrumentation.
In mobile network stations, RF devices are mounted just below the antenna to minimize cable loss. The interconnection between the RF equipment at the top of the tower and the baseband unit is achieved by fiber optic cabling. This requires the implementation of an optical and RF (over-the-air) test solution. Potential interference may affect the quality of service. If a service interruption occurs within the coverage area of a base station, a technician may identify and correct the problem.
Exfo’s OpticalRFTM application, supported on the FTB-1 Pro test platform, can be connected to the baseband unit and can provide remote views of the RF spectrum in real time via a mobile device.
The R & S PR100 portable radio receiver, and R & S FSH or R & S FPH spectrum analyzers from Rohde & Schwarz can be used to detect interference by uncovering the entire frequency spectrum in the station’s operating band but also in the adjacent channels
Exfo and Rohde & Schwarz believe that the combination of their expertise enables them to offer mobile operators, installers and service providers harmonized solutions for various measurement scenarios. As part of this cooperation, the two companies have jointly organized several workshops on mobile network testing and are planning other similar events in the future.
