VIAVI Solutions has announced that Metanoia Communications Inc.’s JURA open radio unit (O-RU) has successfully completed end-to-end over-the-air (OTA) validation at the VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service (VALOR). It is the first product to be validated at the lab’s new radio frequency (RF) shielded anechoic chamber to ensure compliance with open radio access network (O-RAN) and third generation partnership project (3GPP) specifications.
VALOR is an automated Lab-as-a-Service for O-RAN testing and is funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. The VALOR lab officially opened on October 7, 2024, in Chandler, Arizona, with the RF chamber and two additional customer labs added to the facility on April 3, 2025.
Further, Metanoia’s O-RU underwent end-to-end performance validation to ensure seamless integration into O-RAN networks, with tests using reference O-CU and O-DU components provided by VALOR and its partners. Tests were conducted over the air within the RF chamber, with VALOR evaluating key performance metrics under realistic radio conditions. Additionally, O-RAN end-to-end functional and performance validation was carried out based on O-RAN TIFG-defined test cases. These tests assessed the system’s behaviour across the control, user, and management planes, ensuring compliance with key O-RAN architectural and performance requirements in an integrated multi-vendor DU/RU setup.
Commenting on the announcement, Erik Probstfield, senior director, VALOR, VIAVI, said, “The successful validation of Metanoia’s O-RU using the new anechoic chamber is an important milestone for VIAVI and the VALOR lab. O-RAN-based systems are set to significantly increase telecoms innovation, but a network is far too complex an environment to rely on trust alone. VALOR, especially with its OTA testing, allows companies such as Metanoia to independently validate the functionality and performance of their hardware, and gives network operators assurance that it will integrate seamlessly into their existing networks.”
Meanwhile, Didier Boivin, executive vice president, Metanoia, said, “Metanoia is proud to remain at the forefront of 5G innovation, building on our longstanding partnership with VIAVI’s VALOR Lab. The state-of-the-art OTA chamber, coupled with the company’s extensive testing experience, represent an invaluable resource as we advance our leadership in the O-RAN ecosystem.”
Metanoia’s JURA O-RU is a 4T4R 24dbm 5G FR1 radio unit that supports operation in the sub-6 GHz bands using TDD duplexing. It harnesses the power of its advanced software defined radio (SDR) platform to deliver a flexible, high-performance O-RAN solution for 5G deployments. By combining powerful hardware acceleration with open-source adaptability, JURA O-RU facilitates efficiency and innovation in next-generation wireless networks.
The VALOR RF chamber is the industry’s first test-as-a-service offering for Massive MIMO and beamforming OTA validation. It creates a controlled environment that is free from outside interference and emulates multiple real-world scenarios by sending wireless signals to understand a device’s behaviour. Created in partnership with ETS-Lindgren, services offered include system-level Massive MIMO performance testing for up to 16 parallel spatial layers.
Further, VALOR enables independent and impartial interoperability, performance, and security testing leveraging VIAVI’s industry-leading NITRO Wireless O-RAN Test Suite and the VAMOS unified framework for hybrid physical and cloud-based testing. Customers can access over 500 test cases compliant with O-RAN WG4, WG5, WG11, TIFG, and 3GPP specifications. VALOR facilitates better readiness for the certification, badging, and acceptance tests at OTICs and CSP labs. It provides services to members of the AI-RAN Alliance and customers referred to the lab by AT&T and Verizon’s ACCoRD, and is the first test service to be authorised by the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) for its system performance certification program.
