Agilent Technologies introduced new wireless protocol R&D solutions for testing 3G wireless devices -- such as cellular phones -- under real-world Internet conditions, shortening the design-to-manufacturing cycle. These new additions to Agilent's existing portfolio of protocol and lab applications offer manufacturers a complete, cost-effective test solution for every major 3G wireless format.

The new products include a cdma2000 protocol application that runs on Agilent's economical E6900A wireless protocol test set. Together, the application software and test set offer a breakthrough in price and performance level targeted specifically for software design needs. Software developers designing embedded applications can use the solution to connect devices to the Internet, analyze active or test data, and verify protocol transmission across the air interface. By validating and troubleshooting designs more quickly, developers can reduce the number of design iterations and ensure a more robust and stable product.

Agilent also introduced new lab applications covering cdma2000, W-CDMA, GSM/GPRS and EGPRS that offer more extensive test capability. Running on Agilent's higher performance 8960 Series 10 Wireless Communications Test Set, the lab applications provide all the features of the protocol applications plus comprehensive RF measurements.

"The protocol and lab applications put a network with Internet connectivity on the R&D bench, so that engineers can quickly and accurately verify the functionality and IP performance of their 3G devices," said Al Schmidt, vice president of Agilent's Wireless Appliances Unit.

All of the new protocol and lab applications feature data channels for connecting to the Internet. They also incorporate Agilent's wireless protocol advisor software, which adds advanced protocol analysis including filtering, triggering, and real-time protocol logging.

Protocol Application

In addition to the recently introduced Agilent E6910A GPRS protocol application, the Agilent E6911A cdma2000 protocol application offers IP data transfer to verify functionality under real data flow conditions, advanced protocol analysis to troubleshoot, and both soft and softer handoffs to ensure performance and standards compliance.

Lab Applications

The new lab applications offer the capabilities of protocol applications plus RF measurements and several new features:

-- The E6702A cdma2000 lab application has extensive measurement capability including a new spectrum monitor that can be used to check the waveform transmitted by the wireless device.
-- The E6703A W-CDMA lab application also provides a W-CDMA-to-GSM system handover, in-call spectrum analysis and graphical time domain measurements.
-- The E6701C GSM/GPRS lab application includes support for GSM SMS and GSM circuit-switched data channel and GSM protocol logging. The E6701C combines GSM and GPRS capabilities to allow limited interactive functionality assessment. The optional EGPRS capability of the E6701C allows testing of GPRS packet data carried over the EDGE 8 PSK (phase shift keyed) modulation format. Support for EGPRS signaling and key functionality such as switched radio block loopback mode, data channels and protocol logging are included in this first release of the EGPRS product.

These products extend Agilent's wireless portfolio, which supports UMTS (W-CDMA, EGPRS, GPRS and GSM), cdma2000, IS-95, IS-136 and AMPS wireless standards and delivers global design and manufacturing test solutions.