Agilent Technologies has introduced TD- LTE Receiver Measurements as a software upgrade to its E6474A Drive Test Network Optimization Platform. The company said that network equipment manufacturers and wireless service providers can use the software on its W1314A receivers to verify base-station RF coverage, plot coverage maps and validate planning in the early development of LTE networks.
This new option is based on its existing FDD-LTE measurements to provide both FDD-LTE and TD-LTE measurements on a single measurement platform.
The company said that the Agilent drive test platform supports the related wireless technologies, including HSPA+, UMTS, 1xEV DO and TD-SCDMA. The W1314A receiver with the software enhancement not only measures LTE P-SCH, S-SCH RSSI and LTE Cell-ID, but also provides simultaneous measurements of the older 2G and 3G networks.
The Agilent receiver can measure up to eight frequency bands – which eliminates the need to carry additional receivers into the field. The receivers also allow initial field testing, and reduce the need for a large number of “rack-and-stack” test phones, according to the company.
Todd Biddle, general manager of network solutions division/assurance at Agilent, said: “The introduction of a TD-LTE option was a natural extension to our existing FDD-LTE solution. LTE is going to be a global standard in both the FDD and TDD domains, and our customers value equipment that is flexible and upgradeable. From the outset, we design our hardware products to cope with the evolving standards in wireless technologies, delivering ongoing customer value through software upgrades.”
Agilent’s Signaling Analyzer Real Time (SART), the company’s signaling analyzer platform, is a product for 3G, 2G and IMS networks. With the addition of LTE and SAE technology support, the signaling analyzer software is expected to provide a common user interface to support all mobile and IMS technologies.
