Agilent Technologies' PXT Wireless Communications Test Set Now Supports Critical LTE Inter-RAT Handover

02/25/2011

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced new functional test features for its E6621A PXT wireless communications test set.

Used in conjunction with Agilent's popular E5515C 8960 wireless communications test set, the PXT now supports handover between different radio access technologies (RAT). Both user equipment-initiated and base station-initiated handovers are now supported, making the PXT an essential tool for efficient development and performance verification of LTE user equipment.

LTE networks will utilize 2G and 3G as a fall-back infrastructure where no LTE service is provided. End-user devices are required to scan for neighbor cells and generate reports, which are used as a basis for cell selection and handover decisions. Such processes can be very demanding for today's cellular devices, which must also multi-task a large number of other applications, making heavy demands on their processors. The consequence of inadequate response times can be slow handover or no handover and poor user experiences such as dropped connections.

"LTE device developers and network operators are increasing their focus on handover testing to ensure end-user experience is a good one," said Guy Séné, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Microwave and Communications Division. "Today's introduction of LTE inter-RAT features illustrates Agilent's commitment to supporting the needs of the LTE marketplace. We will continue to provide valuable feature updates that keep pace with the needs of our customers."

Inter-RAT testing uses the Agilent PXT wireless communications test set, configured as an LTE base-station emulator, in conjunction with the Agilent 8960 for the provision of base-station emulation for legacy technologies. The advantage of this benchtop arrangement is the ability to run the verification tests in a controlled laboratory environment, adjusting a defined set of parameters while fixing others, and the ability to automate the testing for repeatable and efficient measurement reporting.

The new inter-RAT feature set is offered on all new Agilent PXTs and to all existing customers via a simple firmware upgrade.

For information about the PXT, go to www.agilent.com/find/PXT.

Additional information about Agilent's LTE design and test portfolio is available at www.agilent.com/find/LTE.

The backgrounder "Understanding LTE" is available at www.agilent.com/about/newsroom/tmnews/background/lte. PXT images are available at www.agilent.com/find/PXT_images. The book "LTE and the Evolution to 4G Wireless - Design and Measurement Challenges" can be ordered at www.agilent.com/find/ltebook.

Agilent Technologies, www.agilent.com