Anritsu Co. announces it has met the GCF Test Platform Approval Criteria (TPAC) and its LTE-Advanced RF/RRM Conformance Test System (CTS) ME7873LA is the world’s first GCF-approved platform providing both RF and RRM TPACs for three downlink carrier aggregation (3DL CA) RF Conformance Tests. Anritsu holds the largest number of GCF TPACs for WI-231, enabling 3CC CA certification of devices for GCF. This leadership position was reached based on approvals gained at the recent CAG#46 meeting held April 26-27, 2016 in New Jersey.
The GCF approvals obtained by the ME7873LA are for the 3DL CA tests defined by 3GPP Release 12 for frequencies used in North America, Asia and Europe. This recognition emphasizes Anritsu’s commitment to providing the most comprehensive portfolio of LTE-Advanced test systems for mobile operators, as well as designers and manufacturers of chipsets and devices.
“Anritsu has been a leading provider of LTE test solutions since the technology was in its initial stages. We continue to develop systems that help validateLTE-Advanced devices in accordance with industry standards. With this recent approval, Anritsu demonstrates its commitment to enable customers to travel on the path to success, and ensure they are able to meet critical product launches and achieve their business metrics,” said Paul Innis, Vice President and General Manager of Anritsu Company.
The approvals establish a validated test solution for developers, manufacturers, and operators who are integrating Carrier Aggregation technology, which increases communication speeds by aggregating several frequency bands and is standardized by 3GPP Release 10 and later. Mobile operators worldwide are beginning to deploy 3DL CA services by aggregating three downlink signals, with future plans to start 4DL CA.
Commercially released LTE-Advanced mobile terminals must be initially certified by GCF and PTCRB. As a condition for beginning terminal certification, GCF requires an approval rate of at least 80% for test cases used for LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation standards compliance tests. In addition to earning the GCF 3DL CA TPAC status, Anritsu obtained the world’s first PTCRB 3DL CA certified platform for its ME7873LA in September 2015. Anritsu has been on the front end of supporting operator deployments of leading carrier aggregation technologies and will continue to spearhead this activity with utilization of its ME7873LA CTS.
The ME7873LA is a scalable GCF, PTCRB, and carrier-validated test system that enables certification of LTE and W-CDMA devices to industry and carrier standards. It provides test coverage for 3GPP 36.521-1 (TX, RX, and Performance), 36.521-3 (Radio Resource Management – RRM), 34.121-1 (TX, RX, Performance, and RRM), and carrier-specific supplementary RF/RRM test packages. The ME7873LA provides industry-leading LTE-Advanced feature coverage including 2CA and 3CA test cases for TDD/FDD and both inter/intra-band CA with MIMO.