Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI support European OTIC in Berlin for O-RAN conformance certification

The European Open Testing and Integration Centre (OTIC) in Berlin, located at the Deutsche Telekom innovation campus facilitated by i14y Lab, provides high-quality and comprehensive testing for O-RAN-based products and solutions as well as validation and integration services to a supply chain of open radio access network vendors.

Handover of the O-RAN Certificate at the i14y Lab (f.l.t.r.): Andreas Gladisch (i14y Lab / Deutsche Telekom), Veneeth Sankarakutty (VVDN Technologies), Alexander Pabst (Rohde & Schwarz) (Image: Deutsche Telekom)

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, Inc. 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 industry-leading 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 analyzer 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 Centers (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 Synchronization 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 realized.

For general information on O-RAN testing solutions from Rohde & Schwarz, visit

www.rohde-schwarz.com

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