Viavi seeks early mover advantage for NB-IoT testing

Viavi Solutions has announced its CellAdvisor Base Station Analyzer will now support narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) connectivity.

The solution, which Viavi claims is a first for the industry, aims to meet the needs of service providers for immediate testing for the overlay IoT infrastructure. The proposition is now available commercially following a number of successful trials with service providers and collaborations with major network equipment manufacturers.

“While much of the focus in the mobile communications industry is on 5G, our carrier and network equipment manufacturer customers are also deep into planning IoT services,” said Kevin Oliver, General Manager of Converged Instruments and Virtual Test at Viavi Solutions.

“Their research is exploring ground-breaking new applications for mobile connectivity, and we are pleased to be able to offer them relevant test solutions which do not require them to slow down their core activities.”

As IoT becomes a reality smart devices will be required to support mobile communications networks via narrowband signals, while also high-bandwidth applications such as video streaming using wideband signals. Managing the inherent tension between these usage models will soon become a complicated task which the Viavi team hopes to address.

Viavi has developed software-based NB-IoT testing, which can be installed as a license on existing CellAdvisor handheld instruments, offering RF over CPRI and BBU emulation in addition to LTE testing and automated interference hunting. CellAdvisor measures the interference and performance impact the NB-IoT signal may have on the LTE wideband signal, confirming whether the signal has the reach and coverage required to serve the number of devices in the assigned geographic area.