Beijing, July 27, 2021 – Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) announced that the company’s test case was the first to be approved by the Global Certification Forum (GCF) and will be used to validate 5G NR stand-alone networking in FR2 ( RF performance of 5G NR devices in SA) mode. Keysight Technologies provides advanced design and verification solutions designed to accelerate innovation and create a secure, connected world.

The move means modem and equipment manufacturers can use Keysight’s 5G equipment testbed to accelerate NSA (non-standalone) and SA (standalone) mode RF verification in 3GPP-designated frequency bands in FR1 and FR2 (millimeter wave). This achievement shows that the wireless communications industry has evolved beyond the NSA model that relies heavily on 4G LTE EPC. Nearly 80 mobile operators are now investing in 5G SA deployments that use the 5G core network to provide advanced connectivity services.

“Keysight continues to provide comprehensive GCF test cases for validating the RF and protocol performance of 5G devices on a single 5G wireless test bed,” said Muthu Kumaran, general manager of Keysight’s Device Validation Solutions Group. With the 5G test cases in the market, vendors are able to capture revenue opportunities associated with data-heavy usage scenarios that rely on high bandwidth to deliver high data rates and throughput.”

According to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), more than 11% of commercial 5G devices are currently supporting both sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum. The deployment of 5G NR in SA mode and FR2 is expected to support applications such as Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), which can deliver wired broadband data speed network services to homes and businesses via CPE.

Keysight’s 5G network emulation solution for FR2 uses its UXM 5G wireless test platform and 5G OTA Compact Field (CATR) chamber to apply various 5G NR test cases. Using a common hardware and software platform across an ecosystem of chipset and device manufacturers, test houses and mobile operators can accelerate and simplify device testing.

The GCF Conformance Agreement Group (CAG) meeting will be held from July 20-23, 2021. The conference also saw Keysight continue to support the leading number of 5G NR RF/RRM and protocol conformance test cases. By applying proven test cases as early as possible, equipment manufacturers can continuously upgrade to the latest specifications and meet market demands in a timely and cost-effective manner. “

Link to this article：Keysight launches test case that can verify 5G NR mmWave devices under standalone SA, and is the first to receive GCF approval