Drive test upgrade

Agilent has announced LTE Receiver Measurements as a software upgrade to its drive test platform, protecting users’ previous investments in receiver hardware and offering multiple tests that accelerate deployment of LTE networks.

Network equipment manufacturers and wireless service providers can use the software on the company’s receivers to verify base station RF coverage, plot accurate coverage maps and validate planning, all of which speeds the development of LTE networks.

The platform offers a practical and least costly option for initial field testing and reduces the need for a large number of expensive ‘rack-and-stack’ test phones.

Since the drive test platform already supports all major established wireless technologies, a receiver with the software enhancement will not only measure LTE — P-SCH, S-SCH RSSI and LTE Cell-ID — but also provide simultaneous coverage of older 2G and 3G networks.

Although LTE is the first truly global standard, it will coexist with the earlier networks and the enhanced platform enables the simultaneous measurements of LTE and the existing technologies.

A company receiver can measure up to eight frequency bands — far more than other receivers — which eliminates the need to carry additional receivers into the field. The platform is said to be the most flexible solution of its kind.