Keysight Technologies, Inc. announced that Zillnk (Sichuan Hengwan Technology Co. Ltd) has selected Keysight's Open radio access network (O-RAN) Studio software to complete radio unit (O-RU) conformance validation in downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) based on specifications published by the O-RAN Alliance.

Zillnk, a provider of advanced antenna system technology and radio units, uses Keysight's O-RAN test solutions to validate the performance and interoperability of network elements across protocol and radio frequency (RF) domains. This helps Zillnk accelerate development of macro and small cells aimed for deployment in disaggregated, open, multi-vendor heterogenous networks Keysight helps an ecosystem of O-RU vendors, such as Zillnk, develop solutions that mobile operators deploy to deliver advanced connectivity services for enterprises, smart cities and factories.

"Keysight's in-depth expertise in the O-RAN standards and end-to-end O-RAN test solutions help Zillnk verify open end-to-end wireless 5G new radio (NR) base station systems prior to final integration with end-customers' solutions," said Robby Liu, founder and general manager of Zillnk. "Keysight's globally acknowledged O-RAN interface verification solutions are critical to an O-RAN industry that benefits from early verification of O-RAN-compliant interfaces."

Keysight's Open RAN Studio software, part of the company's integrated solution portfolio, from the edge of the RAN to the 5G core (5GC), was launched as the industry's first O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU) emulation software for validating O-RUs.

"We're pleased to be selected by Zillnk to help speed their design and conformance validation processes using Keysight's open RAN test solutions," said Jeffrey Chen, general manager of greater China wireless application engineering at Keysight Technologies. "We're committed to helping vendors verify interoperability between O-RUs, distributed units and central units, as well as conformance of these network elements to the latest O-RAN specifications."

Keysight contributed to the second global Plugfest event organized by the O-RAN Alliance with a wide range of 5G RAN, 5GC and 5G NR air interface test solutions. The results of the event highlight the readiness of the O-RAN standard and will help accelerate deployment of multi-vendor O-RAN compliant network infrastructures. Many mobile operators are in the process of deploying networks using an open RAN architecture to support flexible upgrades and quickly launch new services such as industrial IoT applications.