Viavi Picks ETS Lindgren RF Shield Chamber for O-RU Massive MIMO Testing

Viavi Solutions has announced its selection of ETS-Lindgren to provide an RF-shielded anechoic chamber for Massive MIMO over-the-air (OTA) performance testing of Open Radio Units (O-RUs) at the Viavi Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR). This initiative aims to support radio manufacturers vying for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF) Second Notice of Funding Opportunity, the company said in a statement.

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Also Read: Rohde & Schwarz and Viavi Solutions Expand Partnership for Advanced Wireless Testing

Advantages of OTA Testing for O-RUs

Viavi explained that traditional testing of wireless network equipment involves electrical cabling between test instruments and the device under test (DUT). In contrast, OTA testing places the DUT in a sealed chamber with a free space vacuum to shield it from external interference and uses wireless signals to emulate real-world scenarios.

Features of the New RF-Shielded Anechoic Chamber

The new chamber will enable VALOR to conduct Massive MIMO and beamforming OTA validation, including system-level testing for up to 16 parallel spatial layers. VALOR offers an on-demand test suite covering O-RU conformance, performance, security, and interoperability, equipped with a full set of golden O-RAN compliant O-RUs, O-DUs, and O-CUs from various partners, according to the company.

Open RAN Certification and Innovation

Funded by a USD 21.7 million grant from the first PWSCIF Notice of Funding Opportunity, VALOR provides automated, open, and impartial testing and integration for Open RAN, facilitating US certification for new entrants, startups, and academic institutions. Access to VALOR is free for academic institutions and NTIA co-grantees, subject to availability, the official statement added.