Nokia Bell Labs and Keysight Technologies have partnered in order to verify the performance of 5G-Advanced and 6G transceiver (TRX) modules. Nokia is looking to accelerate research and development critical to supporting 5G-Advanced and 6G use cases. These are use cases which leverage millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz (THz) frequencies to wirelessly transmit large amounts of data across short distances.
Nokia will be running tests using a sub-Terahertz (THz) test bed from Keysight. The 6G test bed will be used to test the performance of TRX modules, power amplifiers and antennas. Tests will be performed under both linear and nonlinear conditions. The network infrastructure components were designed by Nokia. The company accomplished this by leveraging complex modulation technology and D-Band (110 GHz to 170 GHz) and E-Band (60 GHz to 90 GHz) spectrum.
Keysight and Nokia recently demonstrated the 6G test bed in combination with Nokia’s RFIC and radio-on-glass technology. The demonstration was showcased at the 2022 Brooklyn 6G Summit last month. The companies outlined the use of the 6G test bed for evaluating the performance of an individual component or a cascaded series of components in an end-to-end system.
“Working with Keysight enables us to make significant progress in developing next generation wireless technology. Cross-industry collaborations are important in co-innovating technology that merges physical, digital and human domains to create immersive experiences that support meaningful interactions,” said Nokia Bell Labs Core Research President Peter Vetter in a statement.
Nokia seems eager that they get 6G right since they were a bit behind with 5G. In fact, in a blog post earlier this year, Nokia highlighted that it’s working closely with industry organizations, government agencies and academia to make 6G technologies a reality. Nokia said it was selected to lead major 6G initiatives in the U.S., and it’s leading the Hexa-X-II project in Europe that’s designed to lay the groundwork for 6G standardization.