VIAVI Solutions Inc. has expanded its VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) testing facility, adding a state-of-the-art RF-shielded anechoic chamber and two new customer labs. Based in Chandler, Arizona, the VALOR Lab provides a highly automated, vendor-neutral Lab-as-a-Service and Test-as-a-Service environment for Open RAN interoperability, performance, and security testing. The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is funding the project through the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.
The newly introduced RF chamber is the industry’s first Test-as-a-Service offering for over-the-air (OTA) validation of Massive MIMO and beamforming. It enables system-level testing of Massive MIMO performance across up to 16 parallel spatial layers, an essential evolution of MIMO technology for the demands of 5G. Unlike traditional setups using wired connections between test instruments and the device under test (DUT), OTA testing places the DUT in an interference-shielded chamber, allowing wireless signal interaction that better replicates real-world conditions.
In addition, the expansion includes two new customer-accessible labs, bringing access to over 500 test cases aligned with O-RAN WG4, WG5, WG11, TIFG, and 3GPP specifications.
“This expansion addresses the growing demand for our innovative Open RAN Lab-as-a-Service offering, which helps democratize Open RAN testing for technology vendors by providing them with a comprehensive, on-demand test suite throughout the entire product lifecycle,” said Erik Probstfield, Senior Director, VALOR, VIAVI. “With the new RF Chamber, we are excited to offer OTA testing that will help accelerate O-RU commercialization and innovation.”
The RF chamber is provided by ETS-Lindgren, a world leader in wireless over-the-air (OTA) performance testing.
“Congratulations to VIAVI on the successful expansion of the VALOR Lab,” said Andy Warner, President, ETS-Lindgren. “We are proud to support the team with this state-of-the-art, customized chamber to bring the next generation of OTA base station test methodology to the industry.”
VALOR provides conformance, performance, security and interoperability testing leveraging VIAVI’s industry-leading NITRO Wireless Open RAN Test Suite, the VAMOS unified framework for hybrid physical and cloud-based testing, as well as reference O-RAN compliant O-RUs, O-DUs and O-CUs provided by several reputable partners.
As the first lab endorsed by the AI-RAN Alliance, VALOR serves as a central hub for its members, promoting innovation and driving forward advancements in AI-powered telecommunications. Additionally, through VIAVI’s collaboration with AT&T and Verizon to accelerate Open RAN testing, VALOR’s comprehensive suite of O-RAN tests will be accessible to customers referred by the ACCoRD program.
Complementing existing industry testing labs, VALOR enhances readiness for certification, badging, and acceptance testing at OTICs and communications service provider (CSP) labs. It is also the first test service authorized by the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) for its system performance certification program.
