Aeroflex and NetHawk (recently acquired by EXFO), global providers of Long Term Evolution (LTE) test equipment, announced that they have developed a complete system for LTE network capacity testing over RF with real data services and applications.

The EAST500 is a single integrated test system based upon proven test solutions: Aeroflex’s LTE RF air interface technology integrated with NetHawk’s load test capability. Both companies are leaders in LTE test. The Aeroflex TM500 Series UE Test Mobile is the de facto industry standard for testing LTE infrastructure equipment. The NetHawk EAST system is deployed for LTE load test simulation by a majority of network vendors worldwide.

The EAST500 hardware is flexible and scalable depending upon the number of UEs and number of cells required. The system offers true end-to-end LTE load testing over RF in both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) environments. The EAST500 was successfully demonstrated at GSMA Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain, where more LTE UEs over RF were shown than any other test solution presented at the show.

The Aeroflex LTE RF air interface integrated within EAST500 is the most widely deployed LTE UE RF test solution. The Aeroflex TM500 has already completed inter-operability testing with every major infrastructure vendor worldwide. Aeroflex’s installed base allows EAST500 to dramatically reduce the time taken by manufacturers to get up and running. Compared to alternative solutions, the EAST500 reduces test time from months to days.

“Manufacturers building LTE network equipment need a dependable solution for LTE load and capacity testing. EXFO NetHawk is very pleased to be working with Aeroflex, the market leader in LTE test mobile emulation to address this need,” said Jouko Uimonen, Business Director of Simulators, EXFO NetHawk.

“The EAST500 addresses the challenge of testing the complete LTE infrastructure prior to network rollout, to ensure its performance under loaded conditions and deliver the best experience to subscribers,” said Nick Carter, Product Manager at Aeroflex Test Solutions. “By partnering with EXFO NetHawk we combine Aeroflex’s expertise in the LTE air interface with the benefit of EXFO NetHawk’s experience in whole-network load testing to deliver the ultimate LTE capacity test solution.”