
Streamlined tester for 5G basestations
Viavi Solutions has launched a streamlined version of its popular TM500 network tester for 5G basestation development.
The TMLite is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server for basestation developers to identify software errors by deploying focused functional test tools earlier in the development cycle. It also enables smaller vendors to gain access to the TM500 family with a more compact package.
5G network rollouts will be more dense than the previous generations with a wider range of equipment from different suppliers.
Smaller scale manufacturers may not require the large number of carriers and high-capacity testing typical in traditional base station validation, but they still need early access to 3GPP features, as well as network parameters used by other manufacturers to confirm interoperability.
TMLite provides functional, system and performance testing for the latest 5G Standalone (SA) features, including FR1, FR2, FDD, TDD, and up to 4×4 MIMO, and delivers the RF, baseband and higher layer processing for one 5G NR carrier – on a single COTS server.
It can use the application programming interfaces (APIs) for the TM500 but optimized for automation environments with parallel testing.
“In order to prove the quality of their products in an ever-widening competitive field, small cell manufacturers and new market entrants need early access to the same 3GPP feature set as established vendors,” said Ian Langley, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless Business Unit, VIAVI. “We have harnessed our decades of experience in lab test tools for both cellular and virtualized networks to develop a test environment tailored to their technical requirements and budgets.”
The TM500, a scalable test system for validating network performance as experienced by end users, is used by almost every base station manufacturer in the industry for testing conformance, performance and interoperability. This gives equipment developers early access to 3GPP features, replicating real-world user behaviour profiles under realistic usage and loading scenarios. Addressing the rapid diversification and disaggregation of network infrastructure, the TM500 family includes the original Network Tester, an O-RU Tester, an O-DU Tester, and now the TMLite.
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