15 Aug 2016

5G test strategies require flexibility

3GPP has just started the standardisation process for 5G. The standard will need to accommodate the need for higher bandwidth, lower latency and a vast increase in the number of users.

To address these needs for 5G, many new technologies are under development and investigation. This includes the operation at millimetre wave frequencies for which the bands are still to be determined.

Testing strategies for 5G need to start to be developed even at these early stages, but one of the challenges for test equipment manufacturers and those determining test strategies is that there are still very many unknowns. The frequency bands being but one.

An additional unknown in the determination of the 5G test strategies is that it is unclear quite how much the massive MIMO use case will be employed. Although this gives significant gains in terms of bandwidth, it adds cost and complexity that may not always be wanted.

The most likely outcome currently appears that here will be a mix of approaches in many areas of the 5G technology. This makes determining test strategies very difficult.

One approach being adopted is to use a modular approach to test,. This means that even at these early stages, development of the test approach can be undertaken, and then the final solution can be scaled up or down as required.

This approach also means that equipment re-use is maximised and wastage of equipment minimised whatever the final 5G solution.

Said Luke Schreier of National Instruments: “As 5G technologies move from the prototype stage to deployment, a modular approach for hardware and software provides the most flexibility to address the standards however they are finalised.”

In one example quoted by Schreier National Instruments’ millimetre wave transceiver system which currently supports 71 to 76 GHz could easily be changed simply by swapping the millimetre wave heads. There are many other examples where the scale and ultimate function can be altered by simple module changes. Another example could involve the order of the MIMO system where tests have been undertaken using 128x128 antennas and the final figure may be different. Simply by adding or reducing he number of modules in the system, this can be accommodated.

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