Anritsu in collaboration with Qualcomm verifies industry first EPS-FB (Evolved Packet System Fallback) test for 5G New Radio

Anritsu Corporation is pleased to announce that the first EPS-FB Protocol Conformance test for 5G NR has been verified on the 5G NR Mobile Device Test Platform ME7834NR powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X60 5G Modem-RF System.

EPS Fallback is a mobility trigger for improving voice KPI (Key Performance Indicator) which enables 5G phones to use NGC (Next Generation Core) with New Radio for all data traffic, while allowing phones to switch to LTE (Long Term Evolution) EPC (Evolved Packet Core) for voice calls. Now devices without full support of VoNR (Voice over New Radio) capability can use SA (Standalone mode) NR networks, and network operators can deploy NGC without full support of voice services.

The conformance tests are defined by 3GPP in TS 38.523-1 and have been submitted by Anritsu to 3GPP RAN WG5 (Radio Access Network Working Group 5). These tests will also be submitted to GCF (Global Certification forum) CAG (Certification Agreement Group), and PTCRB (PCS Type Certification Review Board) PVG (PTCRB Validation group) for approval in the upcoming meetings.

The ME7834NR is registered with both the GCF and PTCRB as Test Platform (TP) 251.

The ME7834NR is a test platform for 3GPP-based Protocol Conformance Test (PCT) and Carrier Acceptance Testing (CAT) of mobile devices incorporating Multiple Radio Access Technologies (RAT). It supports 5G NR in both Standalone (SA) and Non-Standalone (NSA) mode in addition to LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-A Pro, and W-CDMA. When combined with Anritsu’s new OTA chamber MA8171A and RF converters, the ME7834NR covers the sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G frequency bands.