While initial 5G connections are likely to be a combination of existing LTE and 5G New Radio (5G NR), work is well underway to produce connections that use 5G NR only. To that end, Anritsu and Qualcomm have combined to create a 5G NR standalone connection between an Anritsu MT8000A Radio Communications Test Set and a handheld device that uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
5G standalone connections don’t rely on LTE technology such as modulation or protocols. Figure 1 shows the difference between standalone and non-standalone connections. The tests were conducted in both the FR1 band (below 6 GHz) and the FR2 mmWave band (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz).
Qualcomm’s handheld device (Figure 2) lets engineers move around to test the link. According to Qualcomm, “5G mobility is a focus area for Qualcomm, so we have been shrinking our early large-scale prototype systems into a form-factor mobile test device to allow for commercial smartphones expected to launch in the first half of 2019.”
The tests were conducted using 4 × 4 MIMO antenna arrays on both sides of the connection. Qualcomm’s test device uses the company’s QTM052 modules.
The Anritsu MT8000A (Figure 3) emulates a 5G base station’s radio and protocols. It covers all 5G frequency bands used in early 5G deployments, plus 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 4.5 GHz in the FR1 band and 28 GHz and 39 GHz in the FR2 band.
You can expect to hear more about 5G NR trials and experiments in 2019.
Related articles:
Leave a Reply
You must Register or Login to post a comment.