Manufacturers of LTE handsets and other user equipment are getting support from test-equipment vendors as they pursue certification in accordance with criteria set by the Global Certification Forum and the PTRCB.
This week, Agilent Technologies announced that its N6070A Series signaling conformance test solution for LTE running on the E6621A PXT wireless communications test set has met the industry’s Test Platform Approval Criteria (TPAC) and that users download regular software updates that incorporate the latest protocol test cases developed by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for GCF and PTCRB.
In August, Rohde & Schwarz announced that its platform for TD-LTE RRM (radio resource management) test had been approved by GCF for certification of TD-LTE terminals in accordance with TPAC.
GCF is an independent organization that specifies a certification scheme for mobile phones and wireless devices that are based on 3GPP standards. Its members include mobile network operators worldwide, around 50 device manufacturers, and test system suppliers and test laboratories. GCF announced last week that the E398s-81, a USB dongle from Huawei Technologies, became the first TD-LTE device to achieve GCF certification.
PTCRB is a global organization created by mobile network operators to provide an independent evaluation process for GSM/UMTS Type Certification. PTCRB uses a third-party testing system in which independent laboratories are authorized to conduct testing on PTCRB’s behalf. PTRCB is a pseudoacronym that originally stood for Personal Communications Service Type Certification Review Board.
Posted October 20, 2011, 7:34 AM.