The mobile industry will once again gather in Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress from February 26 to 29, 2024. At Fira Gran Via in Hall 5, Booth 5A80, Rohde & Schwarz will be showcasing a variety of innovations covering four areas that correspond to the event’s main themes: 5G and beyond focuses on a variety of solutions driving the evolution of 5G and the emergence of 6G; connected everything features solutions for the seamless integration of connected ecosystems; private networks cover performance and quality assurance for business and mission-critical communications; and game changers allow visitors to take an early leap into tomorrow’s augmented reality applications.
5G and beyond
A large part of the Rohde & Schwarz booth will be dedicated to solutions that enable the mobile ecosystem and empower next-generation connectivity. Visitors will experience the transition from 5G to 5G Advanced through several demonstrations of the R&S CMX500 one-box 5G signaling tester (OBT) and other state-of-the-art radio communication testers covering the latest technology enhancements:
- Rohde & Schwarz is pushing the limits of seamless global coverage over land, sea, and air with its test solutions for non-terrestrial networks. NTN-NR directly links smartphones and other 5G devices with satellite-based services. In a demo setup, the R&S CMX500 mobile radio tester will simulate a wide range of network conditions to ensure NTN-NR devices perform flawlessly anywhere in the world.
- Paving the way for the 5G NR FR3 frequency band, which will provide wider bandwidth to tomorrow’s mobile networks, the R&S CMX500 and R&S CMP200 radio communication testers are ready for R&D and production tests. At MWC, visitors will see signaling and non-signaling measurements, supporting the respective frequency range of 4 to 20 GHz.
- Another highlight at the show booth are the FR1, RF, and RRM measurements, which have the smallest footprint in the market. Rohde & Schwarz has enhanced the R&S CMX500 to provide 3GPP conformance tests for radio resource management and RF inband in a single box.
- The integration of untrusted non-3GPP networks, such as public hotspots and home or corporate WLANs, with the 5G core network is a crucial aspect of the 5G evolution. Therefore, Rohde & Schwarz has added Wi-Fi 7 capabilities to the R&S CMX500 multi-technology multi-channel signaling tester. 5G WLAN offloading capabilities are included as well, with the test platform acting as an N3IWF gateway. With this, voice-over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) can also be tested in a single box. In addition, the R&S CMP180 radio communication tester will verify a WLAN waveform with 480 MHz bandwidth in loop-back mode, a potential waveform candidate discussed in regards to a not-yet-defined Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) standard, attesting that the instrument is future-proof for users in both R&D and production.
Other demonstrations around 5G at the Rohde & Schwarz booth will address 5G Broadcast, where Rohde & Schwarz has been leading the industry and proving technological maturity through real-world demonstrations and practical solutions worldwide. At MWC, the company will demonstrate how broadcasters, network operators, and content providers can leverage 5G Broadcast for new business opportunities, building on the technology’s high quality of end-user experience and excellent spectrum efficiency.
When it comes to emerging ORAN technologies for network infrastructure, Rohde & Schwarz offers a proven, automated test solution together with VIAVI Solutions that helps to improve network efficiency and achieve energy savings. Radio units of an open-RAN-based network (O-RU) contribute greatly to the total power consumption. VIAVI’s TM500 O-RU Tester offers energy efficiency-focused O-DU emulation test scripts. The O-RU activity versus power consumption is monitored using the R&S RTO oscilloscope. The R&S NGP power supply units power the O-RU and monitor voltage and current statistics over time. The central O-RU Test Manager application from VIAVI controls the full set-up.
To ensure optimum quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) in public and private 5G mobile networks, Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its tailored solution portfolio. Mobile network testing experts will present a broad range of live product demos, test scenarios, and an ETSI-harmonized methodology for systematic network performance improvements. The solutions empower customers worldwide to verify and ensure optimum performance for human and machine end-users along the entire network lifecycle of public, business, and mission-critical mobile networks.
Looking beyond 5G and onward to 6G, Rohde & Schwarz will exhibit a number of concise test solutions in Barcelona to enable applied research for example, in the Terahertz regime in the D-Band (110 to 170 GHz). Part of these demonstrations will be the new R&S SFI100A wideband IF vector signal generator. The compact, user-friendly instrument for demanding applications features a very wide RF modulation bandwidth of up to 10 GHz and generates fully calibrated IF signals. Also, in collaboration with NVIDIA, Rohde & Schwarz advanced its hardware-in-the-loop test bed for a neural receiver and added custom modulation capabilities. This innovative demonstration extends the idea of an AI-native air interface concept for 6G, which both companies already introduced during last year’s MWC event. It now encompasses both the receiver and the transmitter side, marking a significant leap in exploring AI’s potential in future wireless communications.
Connected everything
Rohde & Schwarz empowers a securely connected world across different facets of life, from devices like wearables or industrial equipment communicating with each other to connected cars to the most critical data transfers. Rohde & Schwarz brings its state-of-the-art radio communication testers to MWC showcasing applications which enable integrated internet of things (IoT) networks:
- While NTN-NR is still in the making, NTN-NB-IoT technology is already bringing wireless connectivity to remote areas that do not have access to terrestrial networks for use cases like SOS messaging or remote monitoring. The R&S CMW500 covers testing needs from R&D to conformance and operator testing for NB-IoT NTN, not only supporting protocol, RRM, and RF conformance testing in line with 3GPP but also the Skylo test plan—all in a single box.
- 3GPP Rel.17 introduced 5G RedCap (reduced capability), enabling a new set of IoT devices. 5G RedCap modems are less complex, use less spectrum bandwidth, consume less power, and work only in standalone (SA) mode. The R&S CMX500 OBT lite is prepared to address all testing aspects of such devices, including power consumption testing, a very important KPI for chip manufacturers and OEMs.
MWC visitors involved in the automotive industry will be able to explore solutions addressing automotive connectivity at the Rohde & Schwarz booth. The company’s T&M solutions enable advancements in the connected car, where new technologies will enhance the driving experience, safety, and autonomous driving capabilities. One solution on display covers 5G NG eCall testing, featuring the R&S CMX500 OBT 5G signaling tester along with the R&S SMBV100B GNSS satellite simulator. Another demo features the R&S CMP180 radio communication tester with the newly added 5G V2X testing in addition to the existing LTE-based C-V2X. Now all V2X technologies are supported (LTE, NR, and 11p).
Accurate ranging, low power consumption, high security, and reliability are features of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology that make it suitable for many automotive applications, especially as a digital key. At MWC, Rohde & Schwarz will present the R&S CMP200 radio communication tester with integrated UWB test capabilities to solve UWB test challenges in mass production as well as in R&D.
The Rohde & Schwarz Networks and Cybersecurity division provides endpoint security, secure networks, and high-quality cryptography to ensure reliable data transfer and system integrity in the public sector, critical infrastructure (KRITIS), retail, health, and other areas. IT teams from these sectors rely on Rohde & Schwarz solutions in planning, deploying, operating, and optimizing their network and cybersecurity challenges. Visitors at MWC can learn about modern and secure SD-WAN, network encryption, and secure smartphone communication.
Private networks
5G private or campus networks provide high performance that can increase productivity and efficiency for new use cases across all industries, including manufacturing and warehousing, or critical infrastructure such as energy utilities, mining, and ports. However, optimal performance and error-free operation are essential to realizing the expected business benefits and ensuring the reliability of critical infrastructure. This is achieved by passive and active testing of the network in all phases: spectrum clearance and interference hunting in preparation for rollout, performance tuning and acceptance, regular verification, and service level monitoring for predictive maintenance and troubleshooting.
At MWC, Rohde & Schwarz will present its comprehensive mobile network testing portfolio covering all these phases, including a live demonstration of deterministic low-latency data communication in private 5G networks in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT). Demonstrations will also include a mission-critical network (MCX) test solution that enables successful migration to broadband MCX services for mission-critical public safety communications. Tailored solutions for regulatory authorities to protect the electromagnetic spectrum through interference hunting and spectrum monitoring will also be demonstrated.
Game changers
Last but not least, Rohde & Schwarz will bring game-changing technologies to MWC 2024. At the booth, visitors will experience an exciting showcase of extended reality (XR) applications, key driver of 5G and 6G and foundation of the immersive Metaverse of tomorrow. The R&S CMX500 OBT 5G signaling tester performs end-to-end testing of avatar calls using 5G, ensuring the quality of experience (QoE) for the subscriber, pushing the boundaries of communications technology.
A display of next-generation Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) with Encrypted Traffic Intelligence by ipoque, a Rohde & Schwarz company, will demonstrate how to power networking and cybersecurity solutions with advanced OEM network analytics technology. The leading DPI engines, R&S®PACE 2 and R&S®vPACE, detect and classify applications, protocols, and services for enhanced connectivity and security, even amidst encrypted and anonymized traffic.
