- Rohde & Schwarz and MediaTek have partnered to successfully verify MediaTek’s 5G RedCap (reduced capability) test platform, as defined in 3GPP Release 17.
- RedCap will enable a new range of 5G standalone devices such as industrial sensors for 5G smart factories, logistics, edge-AI and always connected wearables.
- Rohde & Schwarz has tailored the R&S CMX500 OBT wireless communications tester to support RedCap and other Release 17 features.
5G RedCap introduces true mid-tier, enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) to the 5G ecosystem and will help launch a new wave of devices that bridge the capability and complexity gap between earlier low-speed narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) standards and today’s 5G with an optimized design for mid-tier use cases, such as sensors in industrial automation, smart cameras and wearables. 5G RedCap modems are less complex, use less spectrum bandwidth, consume much less power and work only in standalone (SA) mode, in contrast to 5G modems designed for eMBB use-cases.
Rohde & Schwarz has optimized the R&S CMX500 OBT for IoT testing. R&S CMX500 OBT enhancements let MediaTek verify the various RedCap aspects defined in 3GPP 5G Rel.17 for network access restrictions, bandwidth parts (BWP), bandwidth part switching, power saving and other RedCap-specific protocol signaling procedures.
The R&S CMX500 wireless communication tester has a one-box tester configuration for testing of 5G NR. It supports all relevant 5G frequencies up to 8 GHz via the intuitive web-based user interface R&S CMsquares. The signaling test solution is suitable for all 5G mobile devices and chipsets. The R&S CMX500 supports all possible 5G NR network deployments and frequency ranges; including the FR1, FR2 and LTE bands in a single instrument.
The R&S CMX500 speeds up the time to market while supporting a complete range of early R&D design stages, from RF parametric tests, end-to-end application testing, signaling protocol tests, type approval conformance tests up to sample production tests. The one-platform strategy for all 5G NR test equipment creates a unified environment for signaling and non-signaling testing through all 5G device production stages.
