Testing the newly available B42/B43 Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)

Citizens Broadband Radio Service, or CBRS, is becoming available to commercial services. Just last week, the CBRS Alliance announced the, “First set of Citizens Broadband Radio Service Devices (CBSDs) certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).”  

According to the announcement, FCC certification required testing to demonstrate that the device correctly communicates with a Spectrum Access System (SAS). The SAS system is  critical for CBRS as it assures spectrum is being appropriately used, without overlapping other users.

The availability of the B42/B43 CBRS network opens up opportunities for multiple use cases including Fixed Wireless Access and Private LTE networks, along with Industrial IoT applications. As with any device, these new technologies will need to be tested for performance, conformance and security in preparation for required certifications.

Certain Valid8’s customers, representing leading equipment providers and carriers have already started to use Valid8 to test their equipment and network on the CBRS spectrum.

Valid8’s M3 testing platform is designed to support pre-5G testing over many bands, including CBRS B42/43. The technology can test across the 3.5 - 3.7GHz band that encompasses the CBRS spectrum. The Valid8 platform can test CBRS CPE, IoT UE devices using its test network to simulate CBRS B42/43 eNodeB and core network.

The testing requirements for CBRS B42/43 are a perfect fit Valid8’s M3 testing platform, which is designed to support testing over many bands.  Example test cases include scenarios such as the following:

• Attach attempts/successes/fails
• Detach attempts/successes/fails
• Detach reason (e.g. UE context release)
• Tracking Area Update attempts/successes/fails
• Create session attempts/successes/fails
• Create bearer attempt/successes/fails
• Protocol Errors
• Message Timeouts
• Message request/response time (min/average/max)
• iPerf OTT to get QoS measurement - throughput and packet loss etc
  

In concert with a radar simulator, Valid8 can simulate the LTE CBRS traffic to verify device to ensure SAS functions properly. .

Unlike many other testing solutions, Valid8 delivers a turnkey technology, including SIM cards to test the UE CPE devices and as well as a test core to easily simulate the network.

As an all-in-one solution, Valid8 is the most cost effective method to test the B42/B43 CBRS, delivering easy to understand, actionable results.

To learn more about our CBRS testing capabilities, visit our Solutions Page.