With new anaechoic chamber, VALOR is the primary test-as-a-service resolution to supply large MIMO OTA validation
Viavi Options has expanded its Chandler, Arizona-based Viavi Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN, or VALOR, testing facility, with large MIMO testing capabilities.
The VALOR lab now has a radio frequency-shielded anechoic chamber from ETS Lindgren, plus two further buyer labs. The extra of the anaechoic chamber signifies that VALOR can now lay declare to being the primary test-as-a-service providing that may help over-the-air (OTA) validation for large MIMO and beam-forming.
Viavi mentioned that VALOR can help system-level large MIMO efficiency testing for as much as 16 parallel spatial layers.

VALOR is federally funded via the Nationwide Telecommunications and Info Administration (NTIA)’s Public Wi-fi Provide Chain Innovation Fund. The check facility was opened final fall. VALOR is geared toward filling a necessity for pay-as-you-go, versatile, accessible and automatic testing-as-a-service for Open Radio Entry Community (Open RAN) applied sciences. Its capabilities embrace interoperability, efficiency and safety testing.
Along with the RF chamber for large MIMO OTA testing, two further labs at the moment are obtainable. Viavi mentioned that VALOR clients can entry greater than 500 check instances which can be compliant with O-RAN Alliance’s working teams 4, 5 and 11 and the O-RAN Check and Integration Focus Group (TIFG), in addition to 3GPP specs.
“This enlargement addresses the rising demand for our progressive Open RAN Lab-as-a-Service providing, which helps democratize Open RAN testing for expertise distributors by offering them with a complete, on-demand check suite all through your entire product lifecycle,” mentioned Erik Probstfield, Viavi Options’ senior director of VALOR. “With the brand new RF Chamber, we’re excited to supply OTA testing that may assist speed up O-RU commercialization and innovation.”
In different check information:
-Privately-held Dekra had its annual press convention and reported high-level numbers on its enterprise for final 12 months. The corporate mentioned that it “remained on monitor in 2024, once more rising its enterprise in a unstable financial and geopolitical surroundings.”
Dekra’s world revenues grew almost 5% to 4.29 billion euros, the corporate mentioned. Dekra additionally grew its core workforce by 800 staff to 33,000. The testing, inspection and certification firm has a complete workforce of round 48,000, it famous. In whole, some 48,000 consultants work for the world’s main non-listed testing, inspection, and certification group.
Dekra CEO Stan Zurkiewicz mentioned that the corporate was “in a position to make sure strong income and earnings development in one other 12 months of considerable financial tensions,” on account of its deal with “key megatrends” together with future mobility, sustainability, cybersecurity and synthetic intelligence.
–Anritsu mentioned that it has expanded the evaluation bandwidth and added a monitoring generator choice to its handheld Area Grasp Spectrum Analyzers. A brand new software program choice can develop present instrument’s evaluation bandwidth to 150 megahertz, which Anritsu says is the “widest seize vary in any handheld instrument.” Anritsu mentioned that its complimentary MX280005A IQ Sign Grasp software program has been up to date to help the broader seize bandwidth, and famous that the enlargement in evaluation bandwidth additionally advantages the instrument’s Actual Time Spectrum Analyzer (RTSA).
-In the meantime, Rohde & Schwarz introduced this week that it has boosted navy spectrum monitoring capabilities with new, simply transportable methods which can be “compact and weatherproof with toolless set up.”
-The O-RAN Software program Group, or O-RAN SC—which is sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance and operated by the Linux Basis, has two new software program releases which can be geared toward strengthening collaboration throughout the Open RAN ecosystem. The J and Okay software program releases “improve integration between the O-RAN SC and the OpenAirInterface (OAI), improve integration with Intel FlexRAN reference software program, present a extra strong platform for RAN Clever Controller (RIC) software builders, and introduce an improved simulator for researchers,” the group mentioned.

It added that the releases additionally handle points together with interoperability, safety, and scalability.
“Open-source innovation is crucial to accelerating the adoption of open and clever RAN, and tasks just like the O-RAN SC are poised to prepared the ground,” mentioned Arpit Joshipura, GM for networking, edge and IoT on the Linux Basis. “The work being completed on this group is crucial in decreasing sources required for industrial and product choices through the transition to next-generation expertise. The current releases characterize the following step in that journey.”
–Keysight Applied sciences unveiled a scalable, PXI-based resolution centered on safety testing for chips and embedded units. “Conventional safety testing typically entails cumbersome setups with a number of disparate devices, resulting in elevated complexity, longer check instances, and potential inconsistencies in outcomes,” the corporate mentioned in a launch, including that its embedded safety testbench resolution supplies “a unified and environment friendly complete system safety evaluation platform.”
–Emerson, which now owns NI, introduced that the annual NI Join convention shall be held on the finish of this month on the Fort Price Conference Middle in Texas. This 12 months’s occasion will embrace keynotes from Qualcomm, the Texas Rocket Engineering Lab on the College of Texas, and electrical air taxi firm Archer Aviation, amongst others.