Midrange 5G test with high-bandwidth benchtop solutions

 The exponential growth of 5G adoption and the trend toward high-frequency, wide-bandwidth networks is driving demand for test equipment that can keep pace with the advanced wireless devices being developed without the cost typically associated with high-end instruments. Designed specifically to bring laboratory performance to the midrange test market, these instruments support up to 1GHz of signal generation and analysis bandwidth and place an emphasis on quality measurement characteristics for generating and analysing signals for the most advanced 5G NR devices.

Both the R&S SMM100A and the R&S FSVA3000 feature EVM performance in the 28GHz band. For example, the measured EVM of a 100MHz 5G NR signal is less than one percent for both instruments. EVM influences the entire design cycle and has become an important benchmark for chip manufacturers.

Test instrumentation that prioritises this measurement leads to superior components for base stations, smartphones, and other wireless devices with demanding performance, data throughput, and energy requirements. With each design iteration, the testing criteria become more specific, and manufacturers can focus their test and validation on only the most applicable measurements.

Rohde & Schwarz is responding with instruments that make it possible to lower the cost of test as designs mature by delivering purpose-built equipment that can perform the most applicable measurements extremely well. Together, the R&S SMM100A and the R&S FSVA3000 provide RF performance and represent what is possible in this class of test equipment, both featuring a frequency range of up to 44GHz and well-suited for the complexity of today's mainstream 5G projects as well as emerging 5G and WLAN standards.

Rohde & Schwarz engineers have designed them for compatibility with simplified set-up sharing for faster measurements and fewer errors. This tandem of benchtop instruments offers advantages in performance and flexibility over modular solutions by providing out-of-the-box functionality and reducing complexity so they are easy to operate, either in a lab or in production. These two instruments have the fastest measurement speed in the midrange class and can perform the full complement of 5G testing required by 3GPP - all without complicated hardware configuration.

"By starting with our high-end instruments that already provide excellent measurement quality and working backwards, we can make decisions about which performance characteristics to scale back in order to bring complexity - and cost – down," said Alexander Pabst, Vice President Wireless Communications, Rohde & Schwarz. "And as 5G continues to transition to the mass markets, the R&S SMM100A vector signal generator and the R&S FSVA3000 signal and spectrum analyser gives our customers the best of both worlds, a purpose-built solution that is sensitive to cost, with excellent performance for the measurements that matter."

The R&S SMM100A and the R&S FSVA3000 are now available, and to learn more about how these products can benefit every stage of 5G development, click here.