Nokia Bell Labs validates the performance of 5G Advanced and 6G transceiver (TRX) modules using Keysight's 6G sub-terahertz (sub-THz) testbed.

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that NOKIA Bell Labs has selected Keysight's sub-terahertz (sub-THz) testbed to validate the performance of its 5G Advanced and 6G transceiver (TRX) modules.

The module under test uses a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) containing a power amplifier, transceiver, and antenna on a glass substrate. This is required to support the massive data throughput and reliable backhaul transmission requirements of 5G Advanced and 6G.

Nokia said it has selected Keysight's technology to accelerate research and development essential to support 5G-Advanced and 6G use cases that utilize millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz (sub-THz) frequency spectrum to wirelessly transmit large amounts of data over short distances.

Keysight's 6G testbed is used to validate TRX module, power amplifier, and antenna performance under linear and nonlinear conditions. Nokia designed these network infrastructure components using complex modulation techniques and spectrum in the D band (110 GHz to 170 GHz) and E band (60 GHz to 90 GHz).

Nokia Bell Labs and Keysight announced that they have solutions that can improve the power and noise performance of amplifiers, innovate advanced data conversion technologies, and improve energy efficiency. The two companies are jointly developing solutions to deliver a secure end-user experience while maintaining security in networks that mix diverse connectivity solutions.

Keysight leverages its signal generation and analysis tools, vector signal analysis software, and over-the-air measurement expertise to help designers develop transceivers, front-end modules, and antennas that can generate and measure wide-bandwidth signals with exceptional fidelity.

Meanwhile, at the 2022 Brooklyn 6G Summit (B6GS), Keysight collaborated with Nokia to demonstrate a 6G testbed incorporating Nokia's RFIC and radio-on-glass technologies. The demonstration demonstrated how to use the 6G testbed, evaluating the performance of a series of step-by-step components or individual components of an end-to-end system. The testbed, consisting of integrated software and hardware, allows rapid modification of the configuration and parameters of the waveforms used, enabling NOKIA to evaluate the performance of its RFIC designs across a wide range of use cases applicable to 6G.

“Keysight is pleased to collaborate with Nokia Bell Labs to advance the development of wireless communications technologies and, by extension, to improve metrology standards for sub-terahertz (sub-THz) frequencies,” said Giampaolo Tardioli, vice president of Keysight’s 6G and Next Generation Technologies business unit. “Our collaboration with Nokia across multiple design technologies supports our shared goal of enabling sustainable solutions that will serve as the foundation for the ubiquitous connectivity fabric required for 5G-Advanced and 6G communications.”

“Nokia Bell Labs leverages Keysight’s design, verification and optimization solutions, as well as its measurement science expertise, to reach the levels of performance required to deliver on the promise of many 6G use cases,” said Shahriar Shahramian, head of Nokia Bell Labs RFIC and Packaging Lab. “Keysight’s 6G sub-terahertz (sub-THz) testbed enables Nokia to validate error vector magnitude (EVM) performance, which lays the foundation for high data throughput in our TRX modules supporting higher-order modulation formats.”