Verification of Rel-17 Coverage Enhancements for 5G Network Infrastructure

Anritsu Corporation, in collaboration with MediaTek, has released verified 3GPP Release 17 Coverage Enhancement testcases for the ME7834NR Mobile Device Test Platform. This cooperation provides the telecommunications testing sector with standardized tools to evaluate 5G New Radio Standalone device performance, utilizing MediaTek's M60 user equipment to validate protocols designed for challenging radio environments.

Addressing Uplink Limitations in 5G Networks
As 5G network infrastructure expands, maintaining connectivity at the cell edge or deep indoors remains a technical challenge, primarily due to uplink coverage limits. Release 17 Coverage Enhancements address these physical constraints without necessitating increased device transmit power or additional cell site density. By implementing specific radio procedures, devices can sustain data transfer in weak-signal conditions where traditional connections would typically fail.

Technical Mechanisms for Protocol Conformance Testing
The newly verified solution evaluates devices against several network transmission mechanisms designed to improve uplink robustness. These include Msg3 repetition during the initial access phase, enhanced Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) Repetition Type A, and Transport Block processing over Multiple Slots (TBoMS). These procedures distribute data transmission across multiple time slots, reducing the required signal-to-noise ratio for successful decoding at the base station. The conformance tests, defined by the 3GPP standard TS 38.523-1, have been submitted to the Radio Access Network Working Group 5 (RAN WG5) to accelerate the commercial implementation of these network features.

Test Platform Capabilities and Interoperability
Yokoo Daizaburo, General Manager of the Mobile Solutions Division at Anritsu, noted that enabling accurate verification of coverage-oriented functionality supports operators and device vendors in improving connection reliability and overall network efficiency.

The ME7834NR platform, registered as Test Platform 251 with both the Global Certification Forum (GCF) and PTCRB, executes Protocol Conformance Tests and Carrier Acceptance Testing. It supports multiple radio access technologies, including 5G Standalone, Non-Standalone, and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN). When integrated with the MA8171A Over-The-Air RF chamber, the system evaluates both sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave frequency bands, ensuring comprehensive device validation before market deployment.

Edited by Aishwarya Mambet, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.

www.anritsu.com