VIAVI and Rohde & Schwarz support Auray OTIC in awarding O-RAN conformance certification for international markets

Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI Solutions, Inc. announce to have supported Auray OTIC and Security Lab in Taiwan in the process of awarding O-RAN conformance certification for international markets. The certification of an O-RU of the RPQN series from Foxconn was completed according to O-RAN specified processes and procedures as defined by the O-RAN ALLIANCE.

Auray OTIC and Security Lab used a combined testbed including the VIAVI TM500 O-RU Tester and the R&S®SMW200A, R&S®FSW and R&S®VSE from Rohde & Schwarz, with the O-RU Test Manager from VIAVI as single point of control, providing a seamless user experience. Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI, both leaders in wireless communication test and active in specifications development in the O-RAN ALLIANCE, have combined their industry-leading capabilities to deliver this integrated solution for conformance testing of O-RUs.

All approved Open Testing and Integration Centers (OTIC) worldwide cooperate with the O-RAN ALLIANCE in the O-RAN Certification and Badging Program, which represents a comprehensive mechanism to ensure confidence in O-RAN solutions within the industry. O-RAN is making radio access networks more open, disaggregated and flexible. Opening the network architecture can foster innovation, accommodate individual needs and enhance network efficiency. Therefore, O-RAN is experiencing rapid advancement and growth in the technology ecosystem.

Foxconn has developed the RPQN series 5G NR Radio Units (O-RU) to be fully compliant to O-RAN ALLIANCE standards. The Foxconn 4T/4R small cell radios are covering 5G NR bands n79, n78, n77 and n48. They are compact, lightweight, easy to install, and provide optimal coverage for indoor applications. The design has completed the extensive 3GPP and O-RAN compliance testing and is also certified in most major regions for CE, FCC, TELEC and NCC in Taiwan.

The O-RU verification followed the O-RAN fronthaul conformance test specification defined by WG4, including the Control, User, and Synchronization plane (CUS-Plane) and the Management-plane (M-Plane). WG4’s objective is to deliver open fronthaul interfaces, in which interoperability between Distributed Unit (DU) and Radio Unit (RU) from multiple vendors can be realized. To add independent peer-review, Auray OTIC and Security Lab obtained TAF ISO/IEC 17025 approval for O-RAN test results and follows ISO/IEC 17065.