Viavi Solutions, a supplier of network and service enablement solutions and optical security and performance products, has announced its CellAdvisor Base Station Analyzer provides support for the signal analysis required for narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) connectivity.
The new test capability is designed to address the needs of service providers seeking to test the overlay IoT infrastructure that must co-exist with the traditional mobile communications network. Viavi is introducing the upgrade to the CellAdvisor following trials with Tier 1 global service providers and collaborations with network equipment manufacturers.
Viavi noted that the IoT will enable billions of smart devices to maintain low-speed and low-latency connectivity to mobile communications networks via narrowband signals. These networks will need to simultaneously support high-bandwidth applications such as video streaming using wideband signals, creating an inherent conflict between the two usage requirements. As a result network operators require solutions to help manage these disparate connection types.
To meet this need, Viavi has developed software-based NB-IoT testing that can be licensed on existing CellAdvisor handheld instruments, which are in use with major carriers worldwide. The new software feature enhances CellAdvisor solution, which supports RF over CPRI and BBU emulation, in addition to LTE testing and automated interference hunting to help improve operational efficiency.With the new NB-IoT support, CellAdvisor measures the potential interference and performance impact the NB-IoT signal may have on the LTE wideband signal. It also verifies whether the signal has the reach and coverage required to serve the number of devices in the assigned geographic area, including accounting for criteria such as building penetration.
The capabilities of the CellAdvisor with NB-IoT support include analysis of signal power levels, digital demodulation and interference down to the single PRB (physical resource block) for the signal being measured. The measurements provide customers with in-depth data on how the network is operating in terms of performance, coverage and data traffic capacity, also identifying potential issues related to interference or intermodulation.
