Anite has launched full support for Global Certification Forum requirements on LTE data throughput testing, allowing mobile operators and device OEMs to put devices through their paces in real-world conditions.
Anite noted that operators are eager to verify the data performance of new mobile devices before they hit the market, in order to ensure happy customers. Test cases replicate a variety of real-world propagation conditions such as fading and multi-path reflections, and assess the application layer data throughput of a mobile device using Anite’s Conformance Toolset.
PTCRB, which is the certification forum for North American mobile operators, is expected to adopt similar requirements to the GCF data performance standards, and Anite anticipates that its platform will also be able to run the PTCRB performance tests.
Paul Beaver, products director at Anite, said that access to the complete GCF performance testing capability ” will lead to more cost-effective development of devices that are more likely to meet end-users download speed expectations.”
—Anritsu Company introduced new accessories for its MA2700A Handheld InterferenceHunter, used by field techs to locate sources of network interference. There are now five bandpass filters that can be mounted on the device, and a directional antenna for the instrument that replaces several Yagi antennas and is intended for use when interference occurs in more than one band.
The bandpass filters for the U.S. market cover uplink frequencies 699-715 MHz, 776-788 MHz, 815-850 MHz, 1700-1756 MHz and 1850-1910 MHz.
—Ixia is focusing on testing performance and reliability in Wi-Fi-enabled devices with its new WaveDevice test solution. The company noted that for many devices, Wi-Fi is the sole connectivity option and that the technology is carrying an increasing percentage of vital traffic such as real-time voice and video, services in hospitals, and cloud-based resources for enterprises. The WaveDevice solution is designed for manufacturers to test their devices early in the design process by isolating and optimizing behavior in new device designs, assessing performance under a variety of Wi-Fi access point setting, and emulating live networks and features such as roaming, interference, and co-existence with other Wi-Fi devices, according to Ixia.
“Isolating performance problems in a Wi-Fi solution can be very challenging, especially when those issues are the result of underperforming client devices,” said Craig Mathias, principal at Farpoint Group. “Ixia’s WaveDevice can help product developers, test engineers, and even field personnel identify, localize, and understand device performance issues quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively.”
—Apkudo, which assesses device user experience, has announced a deal with the China Academy of Telecommunication Research of MIIT (CATR) to extend the company’s Apkudo Approved analytics suite to the Chinese market.
The partnership will allow Terminal Test Labs within CATR to use Apkudo’s solution; TTL tests about 1,000 devices a year. Apkudo Approved determines how a device performs across “millions” of user scenarios, according to the company; it also tests key applications and compares device performance to every other similar device on the market, Apkudo said.
“China is the largest wireless device market in the world,” said Song Chongwen, director of marketing and sales at TTL. “This market has matured so rapidly that user experience is often an afterthought. It is critical the dominant Chinese operators and manufacturers now aggressively focus on how to make their customers’ user experience better.”
