/> Testing handover between different radio access technologies (RAT) is becoming ever more important in the verification of LTE user equipment. When out of the LTE service area the equipment will typically fall back to the network's 2G or 3G infrastructure. For a positive end-user experience, equipment needs to transition smoothly between these technologies, which leads operators to increase their focus on testing the real-world performance of each device before deployment on their networks. Such performance testing goes well beyond the more traditional conformance tests defined by the industry's standards bodies.

Inter-RAT handovers are particularly demanding for today's user equipment, said Guy Séné, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Microwave and Communications Division. With Agilent's inter-RAT test automation, our customers can make reliable measurements without having to create complex code or program test equipment.

As an established solution for stress-testing equipment, Agilent's IFT supports a host of capabilities, including equipment control voice-calling, web browsing, SMS and MMS. It also supports Verizon's battery-drain compliance test plan. The new N5973A automation scripts implement the LTE-CDMA inter-RAT compliance test plan, running on the IFT platform. The software is used in conjunction with the PXT Wireless Communications Test Set and 8960 Wireless Communications Test Set, bringing realistic network test scenarios into the lab environment.