- On the occasion of the Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona from June 28 to July 1, 2021, Rohde & Schwarz presents its latest solutions for mobile network infrastructure testing that cover all phases of the product lifecycle: from the development of RF and digital designs to production testing, design validation and integration as well as 3GPP-compliant base station testing.
- Rohde & Schwarz presents the highlights of its mobile network infrastructure test solutions at its exhibition booth (hall 3, booth 3K30) as well as on a dedicated web page entitled “Rohde & Schwarz Signals”.
- In particular, the German company will demonstrate several solutions for 5G NR performance testing according to the requirements defined by version 17 of the specifications established by the 3GPP.
- These solutions include the R&S SMW200A vector signal generator with a frequency range up to 67 GHz combined with the R&S FSW85 signal and spectrum analyzer up to 90 GHz, the R&S SMM100A vector signal generator combined with the R&S FSVA3000 signal and spectrum analyzer, and its R&S Server Based Testing software platform for measurement analysis.
R&D testing at the edge of 5G with 67 GHz vector signal generator
The Rohde & Schwarz signal generation and analysis solutions portfolio meets 5G bandwidth and frequency requirements and includes software applications to address 5G testing challenges. At MWC21, Rohde & Schwarz will demonstrate a setup to test 5G NR physical layer parameters, which will be included in Release 17. As part of this setup, the company will present for the first time the new microwave frequency option up to 67 GHz for the R&S SMW200A vector signal generator. The setup consists of the signal generator and the R&S FSW85 high-end signal and spectrum analyzer, which supports image-free spectrum analysis at up to 90 GHz and up to 8.3 GHz of internal analysis bandwidth. Release 17 will include new parameters for signal bandwidth, subcarrier spacing and modulation. These key physical layer parameters are already covered by the signal generation and analysis tools, since both instruments can handle these demanding signals with wide bandwidth up to 2 GHz at high frequencies. Such a setup allows R&D engineers to implement and test the performance of next generation 5G components and devices. The new 5G NR features and the new frequency option for the R&S SMW200A will be available later this year.
Midrange RF test solution for 5G
R&S SMM100A vector signal generator and the R&S FSVA3000 signal and spectrum analyzer (photo) support up to 1 GHz of signal generation and analysis bandwidth. They offer measurement characteristics for generating and analyzing signals for the most advanced 5G NR devices. Both instruments feature a frequency range of up to 44 GHz and are suited for the complexity of today’s standard 5G projects as well as emerging 5G and Wi-Fi standards.
For developers who are moving on from FR1 to FR2 components and devices and want to upgrade their test instruments, Rohde & Schwarz will present at MWC21 the R&S FE44S (single transmit/receive) and R&S FE50DTR (dual transmit/receive) frontend modules to cover frequencies up to 44 GHz and 50 GHz, respectively. The frontends enable the up-conversion and down-conversion of signals, allowing low-loss transmission at the lower intermediate frequency. This results in higher sensitivity on the receiver path and more power on the transmitter path. Furthermore, the modules can be mounted close to the OTA test chamber.
5G base stations testing in production
The R&S SMM100A vector signal generator and the R&S FSVA3000 signal and spectrum analyzer can also be used as RF test solutions for speed-optimized production tests of 5G base stations. Rohde & Schwarz will be demonstrating R&S Server Based Testing, a scalable measurement analysis platform that separates the RF data capturing, performed by the test instruments, and the data processing, performed by the server. The COTS solution is designed for highly repetitive testing scenarios such as BTS production and RF component characterization.
