Signaling tester adds CTIA battery life test capability

May 30, 2017

3 min read

Richardson, TX. Anritsu announced it has expanded its mobile-device test portfolio with the introduction of CTIA battery-life test capability for its MD8475B signaling tester. Also available on the MD8475A signaling tester, the CTIA battery-life support, along with the Anritsu SmartStudio Manager interface, allows engineers to conduct battery life tests on mobile devices in accordance with the CTIA Battery Life Test Plan version 1.1 specification.

With the CTIA battery-life test capability, Anritsu said it is addressing a growing market condition caused by the increased use of high-bandwidth applications and multiple apps. Mobile device engineers and operators can use the MD8475B to emulate real-world scenarios for efficient and accurate measurement of the impact popular apps and functions have on battery performance. It is part of Anritsu’s continued emphasis on providing customers with test solutions that meet the various verification processes of 4G and emerging 5G mobile devices.

Anritsu, in concert with the CTIA Battery Life working group, developed 11 validated test cases that meet the most recent specification’s requirements. Among the battery tests that can be performed by the MD8475 platform are email, SMS, audio and video streaming, gaming, web browsing, and music playback. Engineers can define and configure different profiles according to expected usage, such as the number of emails viewed per day or hours spent web browsing. Comprehensive mobile device performance analysis can be conducted, as all test results are logged into a database for simple viewing and report generation.

SmartStudio resides in a computer and can control the MD8475A or MD8475B to conduct the CTIA Battery Life Test Plan measurements. A separate power analyzer to measure the voltage and current is part of the solution, as well. GUI-based SmartStudio makes it easy to configure a smartphone test environment by eliminating the need to create complex test scenarios. Various parameters, such as the frequency and control status, are set at the GUI to run one-touch tests—including reject tests that cannot be run easily on live networks. Eliminating the need to create test cases or understand signaling protocols makes it easier to focus on testing smartphone functions and performance.

The MD8475A and MD8475B signaling testers are all-in-one base station simulators supporting LTE, LTE-Advanced, W-CDMA/HSPA/HSPA Evolution/DC-HSDPA, GSM/GPRS/EGPRS, CDMA2000 1X/1xEV-DO Rev. A, and TD-SCDMA/TD-HSPA. In addition to battery tests, the MD8475A/B support other measurement environments, including maximum throughput performance tests and stress tests of LTE terminals. They also conduct CS fallback, call-connection reliability and stability tests at handover, communication tests at low RF power, and offloading from LTE to WLAN tests.

About the Author

Rick Nelson

Contributing Editor

Rick Nelson is a technical journalist who has served as executive editor of Test & Measurement World, chief editor of EDN, and executive editor of EE-Evaluation Engineering. He has also contributed to publications including Vision Systems Design and Electronic Design, and he has participated in many live panel discussions and webcasts. Rick has also held systems-engineering and product-development positions at General Electric and Litton Industries. He received his B.S.E.E. degree from The Pennsylvania State University.