The 5G NR Non-Standalone (NSA) test case submission was made using Keysight’s 5G Protocol Conformance Toolset, part of Keysight’s 5G Network Emulation Solution portfolio. It is the first 3GPP conformance test case at mmWave frequencies (28 GHz) using an over-the-air (OTA) test methodology. Protocol conformance tests are a key enabler for chipset and device manufacturers to validate the performance of new 5G designs.

“Keysight has yet again achieved a key milestone in helping the industry speed the commercialization of 5G devices,” said Kailash Narayanan, vice president of Keysight’s wireless test group. “Our close collaborations with market makers across the mobile ecosystem, has enabled Keysight to deliver leading 5G solutions for full radio frequency and protocol conformance test capability.”

Earlier this month, Keysight announced that the company’s 5G RF Conformance Toolset was first to gain PTCRB approval for 5G New Radio (NR) device certification. Keysight’s suite of 5G Network Emulation Solutions leverages Keysight’s UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform to address the device development workflow from early design, to acceptance and manufacturing. The compact solution supports the entire device certification process and scales to facilitate mobile device verification and certification across RF, radio resource management (RRM) and protocol. The toolset enables users to certify new designs across both FR1 (sub-6GHz frequencies) and FR2 (mmWave frequencies).

“We are delighted that Keysight has taken this key step towards verifying 5G protocol test specifications, enabling the mobile industry to accelerate commercialization of 5G technology,” said Jacob John, chair of 3GPP RAN5.