The GTI Award is granted by the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI), an organization of leading global operators that has successfully supported the commercialization of TD-LTE and 5G NR networks and services. The Innovative Breakthrough in Mobile Technology Award is given to technologies based on how they meet the needs of GTI operators, as well as their innovativeness, benefits, market potential, sustainability and impact. Rohde & Schwarz received this award for its R&S CMX500 one-box tester (OBT), a leading test solution that covers the entire 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) lifecycle.
RedCap is a 5G technology defined in 3GPP Release 17. As a reduced-functionality version of 5G, it has significantly lower cost compared to 5G eMBB. It is characterized by mid-range data throughput, low power consumption, low complexity and the ability to support a large number of devices. This makes it particularly attractive for IoT applications.
The R&S CMX500 OBT verifies the various RedCap aspects specified in 3GPP 5G Rel.17 for R&D, certification and conformance testing. It covers network access restrictions, bandwidth parts (BWP) and bandwidth part switching, power saving and other protocol signaling procedures. The platform has also been enhanced to verify proper operation of RedCap terminal devices in legacy networks.
Christoph Pointner, Senior Vice President of Mobile Network Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, who accepted the award during the ceremony on February 27, 2024 at MWC Barcelona, said: “We are honored to receive the prestigious GTI Award for our R&S CMX500 one-box signaling tester for its comprehensive support of 5G RedCap technology. This recognition is a testament to our striving commitment to push the boundaries of mobile communications testing to meet the diverse needs of network operators and device manufacturers, paving the way for new technologies.”
