Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced a new line of system-level design and verification
products for 3GPP LTE physical layer (PHY) design. Agilent now provides predictive products and algorithmic references for the SystemVue platform that are consistent with the LTE v.8.9.0 (December 2009) standard. The new line includes four products that accelerate 4G deployment for LTE system architects, baseband hardware designers, and RF equipment by bringing new levels of realism into the architecture and modeling stages.

The four new products being introduced include: the W1715 MIMO Channel Builder, the W1716 Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) Software, the W1910 and W1912 LTE Baseband Verification Library Reference Blocksets.

The W1715 MIMO Channel Builder is a simulation blockset for LTE architecture and receiver designers, based on the WINNER and WINNER-II fading algorithms. By incorporating non-ideal MIMO antenna performance (e.g., crosstalk and directionality), the W1715 goes beyond these standard propagation models. It enables 2D far-field data to be imported from antenna measurements or 3D EM simulations, including Agilent EM
PRO. Realistic antenna degradations allow accurate assessments of link-level LTE architectures and receiver algorithms to be made at a very early stage, before prototypes have been committed for the mechanical, RF/antenna, or baseband/DSP designs.

The W1715 also follows the design into hardware test. The same Agilent SystemVue simulation modules are used to generate test vectors for download into multi-channel Agilent signal generators (e.g., the N5106A PXB) or interoperate with the 89601 VSA software. The W1715 offers an alternative to real-time hardware faders, since SystemVue can be shared on a computer network and used throughout the design process by distributed teams.

W1716 Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) Software

The W1716 Digital Pre-Distortion builder helps LTE system integrators, RF component designers, and baseband architects quickly transition from 3G to 4G by creating baseband signal processing networks that improve the range of analog power amplifiers and transceiver ICs, improve efficiency, and extend battery life. The W1716 also assesses the
suitability of existing 3G designs for 4G applications. Such capabilities translate into savings for both design effort and component cost.

The W1716 consists of a wizard-based UI that automatically models and corrects common sources of memory effects, in-band EVM degradation and adjacent-channel power re-growth. The software controls signal generators and analyzers to characterize the component response to a configurable LTE signal. The W1716 produces two networks: an impaired dataflow simulation model to use at the link level, and a baseband
pre-distortion network to correct for those impairments. After extraction, the W1716 completes a report documenting the actual DPD improvement it achieved, using authentic LTE v.8.9.0 waveforms, or any user-defined waveform that can be made with SystemVue.

W1910/2 LTE Baseband Verification Library Reference Blockset

Agilent's W1910 LTE Baseband Verification Library reference blockset has been updated to LTE v.8.9.0 and now includes expanded PRACH and HARQ support. The HARQ simulation support uses a unique dynamic dataflow simulation mode. This mode allows the symbol rate to change dynamically over the course of the simulation while retaining the timing and carrier information necessary for full RF effects, frequency-dependent phase noise, and channel fading. This capability reduces LTE simulations time, and BLER and EVM compliance measurements. Additionally, the updated W1910 keeps pace with changes to the Agilent Signal Studio and VSA software to maintain interoperability with Agilent measurement solutions.

The W1912 LTE Baseband Exploration Library is a C++ source code version of the W1910 and has also been updated. The W1912 allows deeper algorithmic insights, control, line-by-line software debugging, and precise test vector generation from inside the algorithms of a working LTE v.8.9.0 physical layer.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

Agilent's SystemVue 2010.01 will be available for download at
www.agilent.com/find/eesof-systemvue in early March. Pricing for the SystemVue environment starts at approximately $17,000. A free 30-day evaluation is available at
www.agilent.com/find/eesof-systemvue-evaluation.