The VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) has come out with the O-RU conformance, performance, security, and subsystem interoperability tests based on O-RAN ALLIANCE specifications. The services are well-suited for radio manufacturers aiming to participate in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF) Second Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO 2), which focuses on Open Radio Unit (O-RU) Commercialization and Innovation.
For radio manufacturers, VALOR offers an on-demand test suite, including O-RU conformance, performance, security, and interoperability testing. Additionally, VALOR provides Massive MIMO and beamforming over-the-air (OTA) validation, including system-level Massive MIMO performance testing for up to 16 parallel spatial layers, utilizing a full set of golden O-RAN compliant O-RUs, O-DUs, and O-CUs provided by several reputable partners and a large RF anechoic chamber.
VALOR, made possible by a $21.7 million grant from the first PWSCIF Notice of Funding Opportunity, provides fully automated, open, and impartial testing and integration for Open RAN. It provides a pathway to certification in the U.S. for new entrants, startups, and academia. Access to VALOR is free for academic institutions and NTIA co-grantees, subject to availability, enabling O-RU vendors to meet the comprehensive performance requirements needed by mobile network operators (MNOs) to deploy their equipment at scale as required by NOFO 2.
VALOR is based on VIAVI’s industry-leading NITRO Wireless Open RAN Test Suite, including the TM500 and TeraVM test platforms. The TM500 O-RU Tester enhances legacy conformance test tools with its Direct Performance Test capabilities, such as uplink and downlink data performance and capacity testing.
VIAVI also offers Test-as-a-Service (TaaS) supporting short-term and time-sensitive 5G and Open RAN projects. The TaaS offering provides a complementary alternative to handle peaks in lab demand for major NEMs and CSPs with customers’ in-house testing approach.
VIAVI Solutions has been directly involved in testing, assuring, and securing the largest communications networks around the globe for over 100 years, validating network products for all Tier-1 network equipment manufacturers.
Dr. Sameh Yamany, VIAVI’s Chief Technology Officer, expressed gratitude for the NTIA’s trust in awarding them the grant for VALOR, making Open RAN testing accessible, affordable, and sustainable for the entire ecosystem. He looks forward to partnering across the industry to realize the vision of Open Radio Commercialization and Innovation.
