- Keysight Technologies announced that it has received approval from the Global Certification Forum (GCF) for 5G New Radio (5G NR) protocol compliance test cases based on the Release 16 specifications of the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) in which the world’s leading telecommunications standards bodies cooperate.
The implementation of 3GPP Release 16 aims to improve the coverage, capacity, security and latency of 5G communication networks, as well as the power consumption, mobility and reliability of 5G communication devices.
GCF approval was achieved using Keysight’s S8704A toolkit for protocol conformance testing. In early 2021, Keysight partnered with modem manufacturers to establish a 5G data call based on 3GPP Release 16 specifications, using the 5G Protocol R&D Toolset solution, which is also part of the U.S. manufacturer’s 5G network emulation solution portfolio.
The first GCF-approved test cases allow users to validate the characteristics of self-organizing networks (SON). The increasing complexity of networks, coupled with the need to reduce the cost of operating a mobile network throughout its lifecycle, is driving service providers to implement SON features, including self-configuration, self-optimization and self-healing. These test cases also include minimization of drive testing (MDT) features that enable active network devices to retrieve customer experience metrics, which mobile operators use to optimize network performance.
Keysight also achieved GCF validation for 5G NR Release 15 protocol compliance test cases for standalone (SA) mode in the FR2 frequency range. Deployment of 5G NR technology in SA mode and in the FR2 spectrum is expected to support advanced 5G applications such as fixed wireless access (FWA), which uses customer premises equipment (CPE) to deliver broadband data rates over wired links to homes and businesses.
