Spirent's U-ATS test cases validated to March 2003 3GPP specs

February 16, 2004

Spirent Communications, a wholly owned business group of Spirent, announces that test cases for its UMTS Automatic Test System (U-ATS) have now been validated to the March 2003 release of 3GPP's 34.121 specification. This achievement places Spirent in the very top tier of WCDMA User Equipment (UE) conformance test solution suppliers. Spirent has detailed plans for validation of additional 3GPP test cases on U-ATS throughout 2004.

U-ATS is a comprehensive, fully-automated solution for RF conformance testing of WCDMA UEs to industry-standard 3GPP specifications. Recent enhancements to the system have focused on increasing test case coverage and system functionality. Spirent's AirAccess WCDMA Network Emulator has been integrated into the U-ATS to enable the widest range of test case coverage. Spirent has also completed an aggressive program to verify the ability of the system to interoperate successfully with user equipment from Tier 1 manufacturers.

In contrast to other currently available solutions, the U-ATS system features a separate Performance Mode that allows complete evaluation of UE performance beyond the minimum requirements of conformance testing. TestDrive UMTS, the next-generation test executive in U-ATS, allows test cases to be run quickly and easily. In Performance Mode, TestDrive UMTS can also run Spirent-supplied characterization tests to analyze UE performance breakpoints. Custom test scenarios can also be rapidly developed in Performance Mode, without the need for specialist scripting knowledge.

"With operators and manufacturers striving for UE certification this year, the most recent round of U-ATS test case validation by the GCF confirms Spirent's leading position in this market," states Rob VanBrunt, vice president of product marketing at Spirent Communications. "As part of Spirent's unwavering commitment to enabling 3G success, we have continued to increase U-ATS test coverage, gain validation of its test cases, and validate our ability to interoperate with a wide range of UEs."