Keysight Technologies, Inc. has submitted the first protocol conformance test case for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project's (3GPP) Release 17 (Rel-17) standards for non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) using narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) technology. The submission was verified using the Keysight Protocol Conformance Toolset.

Based on satellite-to-ground communication, NTNs bring secure, reliable and high bandwidth connectivity to remote areas that do not have terrestrial network coverage. Widespread NTN deployments can improve economic conditions in remote areas with industries such as agriculture, energy, health and transportation using low-cost and low-powered NB-IoT devices for applications including remote sensing, asset tracking and surveillance.

Keysight's Protocol Conformance Toolset provides a comprehensive suite of test cases prioritized by the Global Certification Forum (GCF) and the PTCRB that is used to certify the standards compliance of new mobile devices. Once the test case is approved by the 3GPP, network equipment, chipset, and device makers will be able to speed market introductions of devices and modules supporting advanced NTN features.

Muthu Kumaran, general manager, Keysight, said, "This 3GPP Release 17 NB-IoT NTN test case submission underscores Keysight's leadership in the NTN device ecosystem and our commitment to giving the industry the tools it needs to rapidly adopt new 3GPP specifications and roll out new devices."