5G STS from Rohde & Schwarz bundles test tools for gNodeB

Site acceptance and troubleshooting requires the testing of capabilities such as beamforming and 5G/LTE dual connectivity, to verify the installation and performance.

The 5G STS comprises the TSMA6 receiver, the TSME30DC downconverter, the handheld network troubleshooter Qualipoc Android, and the cable rider ZPH analyzer.

The TSMA6 autonomous receiver uses automatic channel detection to show LTE and 5G signals, identify channel frequency and decode the PCI/SSBs information in order to provide quality analysis of the signal.

The addition of the Qualipoc Android smartphone enables field service engineers to detect the presence of a 5G carrier and to verify the uplink speed, downlink speed and latency.

It can also conduct cell and beam quality measurements and verify the presence and quality of the LTE anchor cell.

The optional cable rider ZPH, which combines spectral analyzer and cable and antenna tester functionality, can measure the occupied bandwidth of the 5G carrier.

Using a time gate, it isolates the uplink signal, which is used for interference hunting in TDD networks. The zero-span feature enables the SSB to be viewed in the time domain and to determine how many beams there are.

It can also measure optical power and RF-conducted measurements of VSWR and distance-to-fault at the cell site.

Automated channel detection can configure the receiver with the correct measurement settings rather than to manually enter them into the instrument.

The firm claims its 5G STS is significantly faster and more sensitive than a traditional spectrum analyser and can run 5G and LTE tests simultaneously.