Anite and Azimuth Systems Collaborate on Wireless Testing for 3G Cellular Systems

(Business News & Technology News, 17 Sep 2009)

Azimuth Systems, Inc., a leading provider of wireless broadband test equipment and channel emulators, today announced that the company has partnered with Anite, a global leader in testing technology for the wireless industry, to create a comprehensive test solution that will enable users to perform cellular data throughput testing with fading. The addition of fading capabilities provides more robust testing, replicating propagation conditions that mobile devices encounter and must accommodate in everyday use. Furthermore, the integration and automation of Azimuth’s ACE™ MX Universal Channel Emulator with Anite’s SAS test platform can substantially expand operator test coverage as numerous conformance, performance and interoperability test cases require channel emulation. As this integration provides support of operator scripts and enhanced tools, the overall speed at which tests can be performed is increased as well.
Anite’s SAS interoperability test platform is an easy-to-use network simulator that enables users to quickly test mobile devices as part of the integration or interoperability testing phase in the development cycle. A critical tool for mobile network operators, terminal and component manufacturers, SAS is used to simulate complex network scenarios, enabling the quick identification of problems not detected in standard conformance tests.
Azimuth’s ACE MX channel emulator is a purpose-built, enhanced testing solution that was architected to meet the demanding needs of the emerging generation of LTE and WiMAX systems, which employ MIMO and OFDM technologies, as well as the backwards-compatible channel emulation features required to test 2G/3G cellular products. Supporting all industry-standard bands and channel models for LTE, WiMAX, 2G/3G cellular and Wi-Fi, the ACE MX is renowned for its superior ease-of-use and a host of enhanced features that support advanced channel modeling and propagation conditions.
“Our partnership with Anite ensures that customers will be provided with best-in-class technology to meet their 3G cellular testing needs,” said Peter Paglia, vice president of worldwide sales and business development at Azimuth Systems. “As field testing is time-consuming, not accurately repeatable and expensive, this combined solution will provide the perfect marriage of laboratory testing under real world conditions, allowing Azimuth and Anite customers to ensure the quality and interoperability of new handsets, while saving both time and money.”
In a related announcement earlier this year, Anite and Azimuth Systems announced the launch of their WiMAX Performance Tester, which combines the Azimuth ACE channel emulator and an Anite base station emulator to allow users to run conformance and custom test cases on subscriber stations under varying RF channel conditions.