Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI back Berlin's OTIC for O-RAN certification

In their first successful certification of an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU) according to O-RAN ALLIANCE (O-RAN) as part of the O-RAN Certification and Badging Program, i14y Lab has relied on the integrated solution for O-RU conformance testing by Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI.

Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI Solutions have supported the European OTIC in Berlin in the process of awarding O-RAN conformance certification for international markets. The certification of an indoor O-RU of the LPRU-series from VVDN Technologies was completed according to O-RAN specified processes and procedures as defined by the O-RAN ALLIANCE. This marks the first certification accomplished by a European test lab.

The i14y Lab is an open lab for interoperability testing of disaggregated telco systems, such as open RAN, led by Deutsche Telekom together with consortium partners. The test and measurement expert Rohde & Schwarz is one of the consortium members and offers an integrated solution for conformance testing of O-RAN Radio Units together with VIAVI Solutions. Both companies are active in specifications development in the O-RAN ALLIANCE and have combined their capabilities: The solution consists of the VIAVI TM500 O-RU Tester and the R&S SMBV100A vector signal generator (VSG), R&S FSVA3000 signal and spectrum analyser, and Vector Signal Explorer (R&S VSE) software from Rohde & Schwarz, with the O-RU Test Manager from VIAVI as single point of control, providing a seamless user experience.

All approved Open Testing and Integration Centres (OTIC) worldwide cooperate with the O-RAN ALLIANCE in the O-RAN Certification and Badging Program, which represents a comprehensive mechanism to ensure confidence in O-RAN solutions within the industry. O-RAN is making radio access networks more open, disaggregated, and flexible. Opening the network architecture can foster innovation, accommodate individual needs and enhance network efficiency. Therefore, O-RAN is experiencing rapid advancement and growth in the technology ecosystem.

VVDN Technologies has developed the LPRU-series 5G NR Radio Units (O-RU) to be fully compliant to O-RAN ALLIANCE standards. The VVDN 4T/4R Split 7.2 radios are covering 5G NR TDD bands n77, N78, and n79. They are compact, lightweight, easy to install, and provide optimal coverage for indoor applications. The design has completed the extensive 3GPP and O-RAN compliance testing.

The O-RU verification followed the O-RAN fronthaul conformance test specification defined by O-RAN WG4, including the control, user, and synchronisation plane (CUS-Plane) and the management-plane (M-Plane). WG4’s objective is to deliver open fronthaul interfaces, in which interoperability between distributed unit (DU) and radio unit (RU) from multiple vendors can be realised.