The provider of advanced design and validation solutions, Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) becomes the first company to gain acceptance from PTCRB validation group (PVG) for 5G new radio (NR) test cases that support Release 16 (Rel-16) specifications defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) telecommunications standards organization.
The approval was made in a PVG meeting held from May 10 to 12, 2022, using Keysight’s S8704A Protocol Conformance Toolset. Using the toolset, device vendors can verify radio access capability signaling (RACS), a 3GPP Rel-16 feature that enables user equipment (UE) to efficiently signal the specific set of capabilities it supports to the network. Rel-16 delivers a wide range of enhancements over Rel-15, including improvements in 5G network coverage, capacity, security and latency, as well as 5G device power consumption, mobility and reliability.
“Since 3GPP completed the 5G NR Rel-16 specification in July 2021, Keysight has consistently introduced industry-first test cases that enable chipset and device vendors to verify that new 5G designs comply to the latest Rel-16 specifications,” said Muthu Kumaran, general manager of Keysight’s device validation solutions business. “These early test cases provided by Keysight enable vendors to accelerate the verification of designs that support the realization of smart city, smart factory and autonomous vehicles.”
The protocol conformance toolset is part of Keysight’s suite of 5G Network Emulation Solutions, which leverages the company’s UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform to address the device development workflow from early design, to validation, acceptance and manufacturing.