One-box tester simplifies 5G NR device testing

Rohde & Schwarz has enhanced its R&S CMX500 5G radio communication tester with a major upgrade to a one-box tester approach for all 5G NR deployments. The R&S CMX500 one-box tester enables manufacturers of 5G NR capable chipsets and devices as well as certification providers to cover the product lifecycle from early research and development design phases to end-to-end application testing, including device certification.

The R&S CMX500, called a future-proof solution for 5G NR testing, provides extensive device testing capability, including support for all 5G NR deployments covering LTE, 5G NR FR1 and FR2 in non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) mode, for both FDD and TDD. To achieve the one-box-tester approach, the company added two key features: integrated sub-8-GHz RF units for FR1 and new remote radio heads (RRH), which now cover mmWave frequencies up to 50 GHz in FR2.

As result, challenging 5G NR band combinations can now be simulated with a single R&S CMX500, said Rohde & Schwarz, including higher order carrier aggregation with up to 8CC combinations of FR1 and FR2 downlink, which can achieve data rates of 10 Gbits/s and beyond on the IP layer.

In addition, with a future-proof concept, the one-box tester is able to validate higher data throughputs, including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) applications like 8K video streaming or augmented and virtual reality, which have data rates as high as 10 Gbits/s uplink and 20 Gbits/s downlink, said the company.

The R&S CMX500 also incorporates the R&S CMsquares web-based graphical user interface that enables users to manage their 5G testing tasks with the help of intuitive measurement squares, from RF callbox measurements to protocol verification to higher layer application tests. A complete test portfolio is available including related peripheral solutions like shielded chambers for over-the-air (OTA) measurements in FR2, from a single source, which users can integrate into their test setups.

Rohde & Schwarz will exhibit at MWC Barcelona 2022, February 28 – March 3, at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona in hall 5, booth 5A80. The company will demo a high-data-throughput downlink over an IP layer with up to 10 Gbits/s end-to-end IP data performance.