Anritsu Corporation has extended the functionality of its Signalling Tester MD8430A with the introduction of a protocol test solution for Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) devices for Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. As a result of the upgrade, the MD8430A can now support NTN Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technologies.

NTN NB-IoT is an IoT communication service for areas that terrestrial base stations cannot cover and is used in such fields as maritime shipping, logistics, mining, and automobiles. It enables a host of IoT devices to connect to the network with low power consumption. Its current specification is 3GPP Release 17. With this functionality enhancement, Anritsu will help to improve the quality of NTN devices and contribute to the realisation of a prosperous network society.

Development Background

In the past, individual satellite operators have offered proprietary satellite communication services. However, since the standardisation of NTN communications in 3GPP Release 17, the satellite communication service market has rapidly grown, and various verifications based on the standard specifications have become necessary. For GEO satellites, NTN device vendors need test environments that can simulate the communication delay over a distance of approximately 36 000 km between satellite and device. Satellites must also transmit information over this distance to the device for delay compensation. To support these test requirements, Anritsu has developed a protocol test solution that boasts high reliability built on test experiences with market-leading customers and high flexibility in condition setting.

Product Outline

The MD8430A is a base station simulator that can build a simulated network necessary for the development of chipsets and devices. With its software option NTN NB-IoT (GEO) MD8430A-043 and its control software option NTN over IoT Framework for RTD MX800050A-070, the MD8430A can be connected to an NTN device for GEO satellites, which makes it possible to test the connection with the NTN network and roaming between the terrestrial network and NTN network, among others.