Viavi Solutions has announced that VIAVI automated lab-as-a-service for open radio access network (O-RAN) (VALOR) has released open radio unit (O-RU) conformance, performance, security and subsystem interoperability tests based on O-RAN ALLIANCE specifications. The services offered are ideally suited to the needs of radio manufacturers planning to bid for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF) Second Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO 2), which focuses on O-RU commercialisation and innovation.

For radio manufacturers, VALOR provides an on-demand test suite including O-RU conformance, performance, security and interoperability testing. In addition, leveraging a full set of golden O-RAN compliant O-RUs, O-RAN distributed units (O-DUs) and O-RAN centralised units (O-CUs) provided by several reputable partners and a large radio frequency (RF) anechoic chamber, VALOR offers massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and beamforming over-the-air (OTA) validation including system-level massive MIMO performance testing for up to 16 parallel spatial layers.

VALOR, made possible by a $ 21.7 million grant from the first PWSCIF NOFO, provides fully automated, open and impartial testing and integration for O-RAN. VALOR 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. This allows O-RU vendors to level-up their testing and validation to 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 O-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 O-RAN projects. Available to major network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) and communications service providers (CSPs), the TaaS offering provides a complementary alternative to handle peaks in lab demand with customers’ in-house testing approach.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Sameh Yamany, chief technology officer, VIAVI, said, “VIAVI is honoured to have the NTIA’s trust in awarding us the grant for VALOR, which will make O-RAN testing accessible, affordable, and sustainable for the entire ecosystem. As leaders in O-RAN specifications development and wireless network testing for the largest network operators and equipment manufacturers, we look forward to partnering across the industry to realize the vision of open radio commercialisation and innovation.”