Keysight Enables GCF to Activate Certification of 5G mmWave Devices in Standalone Mode

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Keysight Technologies, Inc., a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, has enabled the Global Certification (GCF) to activate a certification test plan that validates compliance to specifications defined by the global standards organization 3GPP, covering radio frequency (RF) performance and protocol validation of 5G new radio (NR) mmWave devices operating in standalone (SA) mode.

The 5G NR frequency range 2 (FR2) test plan certification was activated by the GCF conformance agreement group (CAG) on April 19 - 21, 2022 using Keysight's S8705A RF/RRM DVT & Conformance and S8704A Protocol Conformance Toolsets. Confirmed at the CAG meeting, Keysight continues to support a leading number of 5G NR RF/RRM and protocol conformance test cases.

The test plan for certifying 5G mmWave devices in SA mode supports many important 5G NR uses cases, including fixed wireless access (FWA). It enables internet service providers (ISPs) to provide high-speed internet connectivity with reduced latency and power consumption. FWA is a particularly cost-effective way of delivering mobile broadband speeds in households and businesses located in rural and suburban areas where access to wired fiber or copper connections is limited.

“Keysight’s ability to deliver the latest GCF validated test cases in line with market demand enables leading vendors to accelerate development of 5G devices used to unlock the full potential of 5G NR,” said Muthu Kumaran, general manager of Keysight's device validation solutions business. “Keysight’s 5G conformance toolset enables leading infrastructure, chipset, module and device suppliers to quickly and reliably support 5G-enabled FWA technology.”

Keysight’s 5G conformance toolset also enabled GCF to activate a test plan for certifying 5G NR mmWave devices operating in non-standalone (NSA) mode in compliance to 3GPP specifications related to radio resource management (RRM). The 5G NSA test plan activation for FR2 enables vendors to fully certify mmWave devices covering the complete scope of GCF mandated testing. This includes conformance validation of 5G NR mmWave devices in terms of transmitter and receiver RF, RRM, RF demodulation and protocol performance. 

In July 2021, Keysight was first to gain GCF approval of test cases for validating the RF performance of 5G SA devices in mmWave spectrum. Keysight has maintained support for a leading number of GCF-validated test cases specific to mmWave spectrum since July 2019 when the company achieved industry-first GCF validation for 5G NR radio conformance testing (RCT) in FR2. Early access to a wide range of 5G NR test cases, on common highly integrated hardware and software platforms, accelerates and simplifies device testing.