Open RAN testing

Master your O-RAN testing challenges

O-RAN deployment presents a range of unique testing challenges that require careful consideration to ensure optimal performance and interoperability.

• Complexity: O-RAN testing requires validation of conformance, performance and interoperability across multiple network domains.
• Potential for wider variation across operators or deployments: O-RAN allows for a variety of potential implementation points, leading to significant variations across different operators and deployments.
• Interoperability: Ensuring seamless operation of components from multiple vendors is crucial in O-RAN.
• Troubleshooting and isolation of problems: Identifying and isolating issues can be particularly challenging in a multi-vendor environment, complicating the troubleshooting process.

Proven mobile communication test methods are essential for verifying the quality of RF components, radios and the air interface, as well as for debugging digital designs and power management. Innovative test solutions are particularly important for assessing O-RU performance during different phases of R&D and production testing.

O-RAN WG4 conformance testing is necessary to ensure that the O-RAN fronthaul open interface meets the O-RAN.WG4.CONF. specification. Additionally, O-RUs must be tested against the 3GPP 36.141/381.141 base station conformance specifications to validate their transceiver characteristics.

Deploying an O-RAN network requires comprehensive network testing solutions to verify interoperability, end-to-end performance and user experience. The disaggregated nature of O-RAN means that there are multiple ways to synchronize infrastructure components, making time synchronization and verification crucial for maintaining proper time alignment.

Discover the best O RAN test solution for you

Rohde & Schwarz provides a comprehensive range of test solutions to ensure the optimal performance of O RAN equipment and networks. Our industry leading signal generation and analysis tools are perfectly suited to verify the RF performance of radio network equipment - from design all the way to production.

• Signal generators and analyzers for verifying O RU RF performance that provide complete capabilities for 3GPP conformance testing
• Oscilloscopes and power supplies to ensure overall O RU performance by verifying digital design and power management
• Over the air (OTA) and beamforming test solutions
• Mobile network test solutions that cover the entire O RAN test cycle and ensures end user satisfaction through end to end quality benchmarking and monitoring

Together with VIAVI Solutions, Rohde & Schwarz offers a proven, powerful test solution to verify O-RU conformance. The joint setup can be also configured to check O-RU quality between different hardware and software releases.

The Rohde & Schwarz Smart platform uses real smartphones (UEs) to benchmark end-to-end service performance with standardized QoE and QoS scoring methods. It also captures the functional performance of network access and mobility management procedures - both of which are key to O-RAN interoperability. In addition, our market-leading, high-performance RF scanner is used to characterize RF coverage, measure interference robustness and assess network synchronization integrity.