Anritsu Company introduces a modular RF hardware upgrade, Enhanced RF Module MT8000A-033 option, for its Radio Communication Test Station MT8000A. Leveraging the flexible architecture of the MT8000A mainframe, the new RF module can be installed in new or existing units to facilitate extended all-in-one 5G NR test coverage for highly efficient verification of devices and chipsets. This RF module supports the extension of the FR1 band to 7.126GHz providing a broad spectrum of coverage from 0.4GHz.

The new module features a built-in RF transceiver that provides up to 16 Tx and 8 Rx signal paths. It supports 5G carrier aggregation over four different bands for 5G 4×4 MIMO Standalone (SA) and New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR-DC), which combines Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2) component carriers to achieve higher bandwidth. In addition, the MT8000A is the first single-instrument solution in the industry to support the various required R&D testing, including increasingly complex uplink carrier aggregation tests.

As well as covering the FR1 band, the MT8000A platform with the new RF module covers future New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) and licensed 6-GHz bands. The result is one instrument for the flexible testing of various frequency-band combinations to improve test efficiency and optimize R&D capital investment.

The all-in-one MT8000A platform supports RF, protocol, and application tests, as well as beam verification and characterization. In addition to supporting the Non-Standalone (NSA) and SA base station simulation functions required for the development of 5G chipsets and user equipment, it supports all frequency bands operated for 5G services. This includes FR1 frequencies (600 MHz, 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 4.5 GHz, and the unlicensed 6-GHz band) and FR2 frequencies (24, 28, 39, and 43 GHz).

The MT8000A supports 3GPP Release 16. Features such as 4×4 MIMO in FR1, 8CC, and 256QAM in FR2, which are in high demand for high-speed broadband communication, are supported by the MT8000A, as well.

The MT8000A includes software for setting various test parameters. The many versatile measurement-module configurations support a flexible and efficient test environment that can be tailored to your testing needs.