Article Tools

• 

The Global Certification Forum (GCF) is on schedule to release a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) device certification scheme by the end of 2010. According to the group, that should be in time for a wave of commercial network launches also expected toward the end of the year. The scheme will be designed to give operators confidence in the interoperability of LTE devices across different networks, embracing the frequency-division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) versions of LTE.

To meet the needs of the U.S., Japanese, and European markets, LTE certification initially will encompass the FDD frequency bands at 700, 2100, and 2500 MHz, respectively. For TDD, certification is currently being developed for the 2300- to 2400-MHz and 2570- to 2620-MHz bands that have been allocated for LTE in China. The GCF is structuring LTE certification so it can be extended quickly and efficiently to other frequency bands as the need arises.

The development of conformance testing has been divided into three distinct areas—RF, the E-UTRA protocol, and the Evolved Packet Core protocol. Six teams have been established to develop the conformance criteria for each of the three areas across the FDD and TDD variants. According to the GCF, the prioritization and definition of conformance testing are now virtually complete for both FDD and TDD, and the validation of agreed conformance tests is gathering momentum.

The GCF is working with RAN5, the 3GPP group responsible for developing mobile device conformance test standards, to ensure that the scheme remains aligned with the latest developments in 3GPP. GCF members from around the world also are supporting the certification’s development. Operators from Japan and China are leading the conformance testing efforts for FDD and TDD, respectively, while six manufacturers will lead the work items that make up the FDD and TDD strands of the project.

The GCF’s Field Trial Agreement Group is prioritizing the requirements for field trials, a unique feature of GCF certification, into two phases. With a target completion date of June 2010, phase one requirements will include between 80 and 90 new field test scenarios consistent with the functionality anticipated in the first commercial LTE devices. Approximately 40% of the test cases have already been written. And, several major operators, manufacturers, test companies, and the GSMA Devices Group are working together on the development of LTE field trial procedures.