Lab automation for carriers

Telecom lab with network racks, test workstations and technicians, connected by structured cabling for automated testing.

Move away from manual testing and towards an automated laboratory environment

In today's rapidly evolving business environment, successful companies need to keep their network infrastructure up to date. New devices and services need to be tested and certified for quality, reliability and security before they are integrated into the active live infrastructure to avoid disruptions or outages. One of the means to carry out the test procedures in a timely manner is the use of automated test environments. The areas of application for laboratory automation are diverse, ranging from RAN testing to transport and core network testing.

Whereas previously time-consuming, manual test procedures were often necessary to verify network devices, an automated, user-configurable fiber optic level can now be used, allowing test runs or reconfigurations to be carried out within seconds instead of hours or days, resulting in time and cost savings.

Sophisticated products tailored to your application

Extensive test cases involving regression, features, interoperability and extensions such as Common Protocol Radio Interface (CPRI)
Continuous software updates of network elements
Fast deployment of security-related software in network elements
Complex regression testing due to coexistence of numerous technologies, frequencies and access modes
New software releases can have a negative impact on features and functionality of current live release

End-to-end lab automation solution
High reproduceability, traceability, reporting and increased efficiency
Future ready including new 5G bands and beyond
Optical circuit switch which is protocol and data rate agnostic
Faster time to market

The HUBER+SUHNER lab automation setup utilises optical circuit switching, a technology which eliminates the need for manual patching and enables remote routing of the signal. Additionally, our RF-over-Fiber solution allows for effective testing of RF products by switching signals within the optical circuit switch. The high performance opto-electrical conversion ensures minimal impact on measurement results and provides bidirectionality for both the optical and the RF domains.

With the help of readily available tools, resources can be shared securely and without conflict between laboratories assigned to different parts of the network. This also enables “follow-the-sun” access to lab resources with 24-hour global access to shared test equipment.

Your advantages

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Cost and time saving

Reduction of resources and time required for standardised test runs.

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Flexible planning

Schedule automated tests to optimise resource utilisation, reduce downtime, and enhance productivity, making your lab operations more efficient and cost-effective.

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Optimal measurement

Very high configuration flexibility of the desired parameters and therefore a high dynamic range.

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High performance for test and measurement

Specially designed for high-performance measurement environments with minimal impact on final test and measurement results.

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Advanced remote management

Powerful interfaces for comprehensive monitoring, control and management for integration into customer orchestration software.

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Future ready

OCS support any media and speed up to 800 Gbps, regardless of wavelength, direction, protocol, or bit rate. The RFoF solution supports frequencies up to 7.125 GHz, ensuring compatibility with modern communication systems.

Applications

RAN labs

By deploying RF-over-Fiber (RFoF) modules to convert signals from RAN radios into fiber optic signals and utilising fiber optic switching, labs can fully leverage the solution's end-to-end benefits. This approach enables much greater transmission distances with significantly lower losses from Device Under Test (DUT) to test equipment. Additionally, fiber optics are extremely lightweight, compact, and have a better bend radius than coaxial cables, making them easier to deploy. Each end of the fibers is equipped with RFoF functional blocks to convert optical signals back to RF. HUBER+SUHNER’s modular RFoF system is designed to meet the highest transmission performance requirements, particularly for the highly dynamic range of test and measurement applications and automated, performance-optimised system adjustments.

See RF-over-Fiber products

RF over fiber solution - Close-up of an industrial communication device featuring four RF connectors, two fibre optic ports and status indicators in a compact metal housing.

Transport and core network labs

In transport and core networks, new devices or even completely new network structures must be validated promptly or network problems must be reproduced, diagnosed and rectified quickly. Test labs have to simulate scenarios in order to find effective solutions for the live network.

Our POLATIS optical circuit switch is the heart of the solution for laboratory automation. Thanks to this solution, you are able to flexibly connect and measure optical network components and carry out tests in a test environment. Our solution enables continuous testing of multiple devices remotely, eliminating the need for physical presence and manual re-patching. This not only reduces labor costs but also frees you from tedious manual tasks.

See our optical circuit switching solutions