Keysight Technologies, Inc. announced that it is the first company to gain acceptance from PTCRB validation group (PVG) for 5G new radio (NR) test cases that support Release 16 (Rel-16) specifications defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) telecommunications standards organization.  

The approval was made using Keysight's S8704A Protocol Conformance Toolset at a PVG meeting held May 10-12, 2022. As a result, device vendors can verify radio access capability signaling, a 3GPP Rel-16 feature that enables user equipment to efficiently signal the specific set of capabilities it supports to the network. Rel-16 delivers a wide range of enhancements over Rel-15, including improvements in 5G network coverage, capacity, security and latency, as well as 5G device power consumption, mobility and reliability.

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"Since 3GPP completed the 5G NR Rel-16 specification in July 2021, Keysight has consistently introduced industry-first test cases that enable chipset and device vendors to verify that new 5G designs comply to the latest Rel-16 specifications," said Muthu Kumaran, general manager of Keysight's device validation solutions business. "These early test cases provided by Keysight enable vendors to accelerate the verification of designs that support the realization of smart city, smart factory and autonomous vehicles."

Keysight's Protocol Conformance Toolset was used to:

  • Submit the industry's first 5G NR Rel-16 test case for verifying mobility enhancements in 5G NR devices to 3GPP in August 2021
  • Gain industry-first approval from the Global Certification Forum for 5G NR Rel-16 protocol conformance test cases in October 2021
  • Submit the industry's first 5G NR protocol test cases for verifying enhanced network slicing and power saving features as specified in Rel-16 to 3GPP in January 2022
  • Submit the industry's first 5G Rel-16 test case for verifying mobility enhancements in 5G NR devices to 3GPP in February 2022.

The protocol conformance toolset is part of Keysight's suite of 5G Network Emulation Solutions, which leverages the company's UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform to address the device development workflow from early design, to validation, acceptance and manufacturing.