Bringing Field Testing Into the 5G Lab System Verification Life Cycle

5G is revolutionizing the connected world, bringing broadband capacity, gigabit speeds, ultra-reliability, low latency, and massive machine type communication. Overall, there is an expectation that 5G will be an innovation platform that fosters an environment where new services become possible and can be brought to market quickly. This will empower service providers to take advantage of market opportunities and dynamically meet changing consumer and business needs. However, deploying and supporting 5G’s complex technology and network architecture will not be a trivial exercise. 5G is causing major changes across the entire network, from the highly flexible RAN architecture and 3D beamforming active antennas to software-defined network components, with stringent timing and latency requirements. Mission-critical applications will demand a network which cannot fail and ensuring network quality will be at the core of deployment. Time-to-market and network quality will depend on the rigor of test and measurement during the complete life cycle of the network; performing comprehensive verification during the lab validation stage will ensure a smooth and efficient deployment and launch of the network.