Keysight Enables HTC to Validate Performance of O-RAN Base Station Optimized for 5G Private Networks

KEYSIGHT Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that HTC, a global innovator in smart mobile devices and technology, has used the company's 5G User Equipment Emulation (UEE) solution, UeSIM, to validate the performance of an open radio access network (RAN) platform optimized for private networks.

Headquartered in Taiwan, HTC will use UeSIM, part of the Keysight Open RAN Architect portfolio, to demonstrate high data rates and low latencies of a 5G base station with open interfaces at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2021 (MWC21). Many mobile operators are deploying open RAN infrastructures to create a diverse ecosystem of suppliers and optimize the delivery of services for different use cases. Keysight's Open RAN Architect provides unique end-to-end performance visibility, from the edge of the RAN to the 5G core (5GC).

"We are pleased to extend our collaboration with HTC to include smart mobile devices and technology to develop customized and flexible open RAN solutions," said Giampaolo Tardioli, vice president and general manager of Keysight's network access group. "Emulating real network traffic over both radio and O-RAN front haul, UeSIM allows HTC to validate the end-to-end performance of a 5G base station with open standard interfaces."

The demonstration will take place in the virtual forum of MWC21, the largest event in the mobile communications industry, held in Barcelona, Spain from June 28 to July 1. Keysight will enable HTC to showcase central (O-CU) and distributed (O-DU) units, supporting 5G new radio (NR) technology in standalone (SA) mode. These network elements, when combined with a radio unit (O-RU), create an open RAN platform for macro or small cell deployment.

Private networks, typically deployed in industrial use cases such as smart factories, deliver high-speed broadband and low-latency connectivity to support advanced applications, including virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR). As a contributing member of the O-RAN ALLIANCE, Keysight applies in-depth expertise in the O-RAN specifications across its O-RAN portfolio of conformance validation and interoperability verification solutions. These solutions are used by service providers, data centers, network equipment vendors, and companies with virtualization and cloud computing technology.

"By collaboration with Keysight, HTC verifies interoperability across protocol and radio frequency domains as well as conformance of network elements to the latest O-RAN specifications," said Raymond Pao, senior vice president at HTC. "Adhering to the latest specifications for open interfaces is fundamental to the successful deployment of multi-vendor open RAN."

Keysight's collaboration with HTC in the smartphone market was initiated more than twenty years ago. Keysight's 5G device test platform enabled HTC to develop and verify the company's first 5G device in 2018 and its first 5G mobile hotspot in 2019.