Chip set makers get 5G RedCap test solution

The tried and testedR&S CMX500 5G one-box signalling tester (OBT) can be used across the whole value chain, from early R&D to type approval conformance testing. 5G RedCap introduces true mid-tier eMTC into the 5G ecosystem.

It will launch a new wave of devices that bridge the capability and complexity gap between low-speed NB-IoT and other, earlier standards, and the extremes in 5G today with an optimised design for mid-tier use cases such as sensors in industrial automation, smart cameras and wearables.

5G RedCap lightweight technologies include reducing the number of antennas on devices, making them less complex, using less spectrum bandwidth, consuming significantly less power, and working only in standalone (SA) mode compared to equipment designed for eMBB use-cases.

Rohde & Schwarz has optimised the R&S CMX500 OBT for IoT testing functionality. The enhancements on the R&S CMX500 OBT lite enable manufacturers of IoT chipsets, modems and end devices to verify the different aspects of 5G RedCap as defined in 3GPP Rel.17 in the R&D phase, pertaining to network access restrictions, bandwidth parts (BWP) and bandwidth part switching, power saving and other 5G RedCap specific protocol signaling procedures, among others.

In addition, the R&S CMX500 OBT lite tester can be used for 5G RedCap protocol conformance testing according to 3GPP which includes verification of key characteristics of a 5G RedCap terminal device such as RedCap user equipment identification, random access and measurement relaxation, RedCap terminal mobility and more.

The first test case has already been verified. At the same time, Rohde & Schwarz also used R&S CMX500 OBT lite to verify the legacy feature of this 5G RedCap terminal device and re-verify the RAN5 use case of the access layer RedCap feature, thus ensuring the regular operation of this 5G RedCap terminal device in the network.

The radio communication tester in its one-box tester configuration can future-proof test solutions for all 5G NR testing, supporting all relevant 5G frequencies up to 8 GHz operated by the intuitive and flexible web-based user interface, the R&S CMsquares.

The test solution is suitable for all 5G mobile devices and chipsets and support all possible 5G NR network deployments and frequency ranges, including FR1, FR2 and LTE bands, in a single instrument.

The tester enables fast time to market while supporting a complete range of early R&D design stages from RF parametric tests, end-to-end application testing, signalling protocol tests, type approval conformance tests up to sample production tests. The introduction of a one-platform strategy for all 5G NR test equipment enables a unified test environment for signalling and non-signalling testing through all 5G device production stages.

Christoph Pointner, Senior Vice President of Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, says: “5G RedCap will bring IoT into the 5G realm. We are proud that leading global chipset manufacturers already rely on the R&S CMX500OBT to address the new testing challenges that come with 5G RedCap. Our new hardware configurations of theR&S CMX500 attest that we at Rohde & Schwarz continue to innovate and allow our customers to rethink the way they test 5G.”

The R&S CMX500 OBT lite hardware configuration is optimized for 5G RedCap device testing.