VIAVI TMLite enhances 5G network test scalability and productivity

VIAVI Solutions unveiled TMLite, a streamlined version of its flagship TM500 Network Tester in use with virtually every wireless base station manufacturer around the globe.

By delivering features, software environment and user experience consistent with TM500 on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server, this new solution enables vendors to increase engineering productivity and rapidly identify software errors by deploying focused functional test tools earlier in the development cycle. It also enables smaller vendors to gain access to the market-leading TM500 family with a more compact package.

In order to maximize 5G coverage, service providers will need to densify their networks, increasing the diversity of radio types and suppliers. Smaller scale manufacturers may not require the large number of carriers and high-capacity testing typical in traditional base station validation, but they still need early access to 3GPP features, as well as network parameters used by other manufacturers to confirm interoperability.

TMLite is an extension of the TM500, providing test capabilities trusted by leading manufacturers. It enables functional, system and performance testing for the latest 5G Standalone (SA) features, including FR1, FR2, FDD, TDD, and up to 4×4 MIMO, and delivers the RF, baseband and higher layer processing for one 5G NR carrier – on a single COTS server.

With TM500 family application programming interfaces (APIs) optimized for automation environments, TMLite tests can be compared with TM500 insights for efficient parallel testing and high-quality product development. Customers also have access to the unmatched VIAVI support model, providing access to engineering expertise in every region of the globe.

“In order to prove the quality of their products in an ever-widening competitive field, small cell manufacturers and new market entrants need early access to the same 3GPP feature set as established vendors,” said Ian Langley, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless Business Unit, VIAVI. “We have harnessed our decades of experience in lab test tools for both cellular and virtualized networks to develop a test environment tailored to their technical requirements and budgets.”