Rohde & Schwarz highlights its unique CMX500 one-box tester tailored for NTN testing at MWC Barcelona 2026

Rohde & Schwarz highlights its unique CMX500 one-box tester tailored for NTN testing at MWC Barcelona 2026 Rohde & Schwarz has expanded the capabilities of its CMX500 radio communication tester to cover all non-terrestrial network (NTN) technologies, making it a unique and comprehensive solution that empowers the entire ecosystem to confidently deploy reliable NTN services. Rohde & Schwarz will showcase the upgraded one-box tester at MWC Barcelona 2026.

The CMX500 offers many features for NR-NTN testing, on both network and device level.

The CMX500 from Rohde & Schwarz has evolved into a versatile, all-in-one platform for NTN testing, supporting NR-NTN, NB-NTN and Direct-to-Cell (D2C, DTC) technologies within a single unit. With the CMX500, users can now test all NTN technologies on both network and device level, without the need for multiple instruments, thus accelerating development and ensuring quality of new NTN services to be deployed with confidence.

Testing challenges of non-terrestrial networks

As NTN matures alongside 5G and looks towards 6G, overcoming significant technical hurdles is key to realizing its potential. Unlike terrestrial networks, NTNs present unique communication challenges due to the dynamic nature of satellites. Rapid satellite movement causes frequent changes in signal characteristics, including Doppler frequency shifts, variable propagation delay and high path loss, requiring advanced channel emulation. Further complexity arises from the use of multiple orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO) and frequency bands, often necessitating Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) instead of the Time Division Duplex (TDD) common in terrestrial networks.

Added features tailored for NTN testing

While the CMX500 is an established instrument in the 5G ecosystem, Rohde & Schwarz has recently expanded its functionalities significantly to address the specific complexities of satellite-based communication. The CMX500 supports two primary testing configurations: Full Satellite Access Network (SAN) emulation for device manufacturers, simulating the complete NTN architecture for comprehensive device testing, and gNB and 5G core network emulation for satellite network operators, validating satellite network components against standards-compliant cellular technologies.

The Constellation Insight Tool further enhances the CMX500 to support NTN testing scenarios. This software enables engineers to visualize satellite constellations in real-time, manage mobility and observe trajectories, effectively creating a digital twin of the live sky. It allows for automated deployment and handovers, it integrates precise ephemeris data to simulate realistic mobility and impairment compensation, and it supports complex handover scenarios.

Rohde & Schwarz also offers a XLAPI Python Test Case package, which includes a range of Starlink LTE-DTC test scenarios. These scenarios cover, for example, LTE attach time and success rates in DTC mode, Event A3 handover, cell reselection between intra-frequency LTE DTC cells and recovery after radio link failure (RLF) on LTE DTC cells. The AI-powered script generation tool ScriptAssist further supports users, accelerating scripting for NTN-specific R&D protocol and application testing as well as instrument automation.

Additionally, the CMX500 is industry-leading in conformance testing, and Rohde & Schwarz supports NTN conformance and carrier acceptance testing, offering the highest number of validated test cases for NR-NTN according to 3GPP Rel.17. Validations were conducted across all three critical test domains: protocol conformance testing (PCT), radio frequency (RF) and radio resource management (RRM).

The CMX500 is the only available NTN test solution that differentiates between propagation emulation and fading. It addresses space-to-ground effects, such as Doppler, delay and scattering, separately from terrestrial impairments, such as reflections and receiver-induced Doppler. This allows space-to-ground effects and terrestrial impairments to be modeled and controlled independently of each other, enabling more accurate and flexible testing of NTN scenarios.

Goce Talaganov, Vice President of Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, says: As NTN becomes an integral part of the 5G ecosystem, it brings a new level of complexity in validation and testing. Our R&D teams have continuously invested in scaling up our CMX500 one-box tester to address exactly these technical hurdles. We're excited to showcase this upgraded CMX500 one-box tester at MWC 2026, which now fully supports all NTN technologies in a single, integrated platform. We look forward to engaging with our customers to discuss how this solution can help them with their NTN testing needs.

Visitors to MWC Barcelona 2026 can experience the extensive NTN testing capabilities of the CMX500 at the Rohde & Schwarz booth 5A80 in hall 5 from March 2 to 5, 2026.

For more information on the CMX500 for NTN testing, visit:

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/cmx-ntn

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