Wireless network testbed chosen for technical testing to 3GPP 5G NTN standards

VIAVI Solutions Inc. (VIAVI) (NASDAQ: VIAV) and Rohde & Schwarz today announced that SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SKY Perfect JSAT) has selected their joint Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) testbed for its recently unveiled “Universal NTN Innovation Lab” (NTN Lab). SKY Perfect JSAT is a pioneer in satellite communications, the largest provider of multichannel pay TV broadcast services in Japan, and operates the largest satellite communications business in Asia.

Launched in November 2024, the NTN Lab at the Yokohama Satellite Control Center (YSCC) is an environment equipped for technical NTN testing. The NTN Lab will serve as a testing hub for the realization of the “Universal NTN”, a pioneering concept aiming to deliver robust and reliable connectivity anywhere, anytime. Universal NTN leverages Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and non-GEO satellites, and High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) with technology that enables automatic routing to the optimal communication path.

Supporting the SKY Perfect JSAT NTN Lab, VIAVI and Rohde & Schwarz have delivered a joint NTN testbed covering Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and GEO satellites. Use cases include: validating end-to-end connectivity and performance; measuring quality of service over large coverage areas with different types of User Equipment (UEs); end user application performance while coping with distance, speed and mobility of both satellite and UE; and reliability and stability. The testbed includes:

• The VIAVI TM500-AS2, a streamlined version of the flagship used by global network equipment manufacturers for base station testing, fully supporting the 3GPP protocol including Doppler and delay pre-compensation
• The R&S®CMX500 mobile communication network tester, with channel emulation and fading in a single box, including all 3GPP fading profiles
• The VIAVI TeraVM Real Data Applications (RDA) engine, enabling rich and realistic application and traffic scenarios to test system performance under varying conditions.

Initially, testing at the NTN Lab will target GEO satellites operating in the Ku-band to enable high-capacity, wide-bandwidth communications. The NTN Lab’s initiatives will focus on 5G NTN technologies and support the development of new communication technologies utilizing satellite communications.

Hiroyuki Yagihashi, Deputy Group President of Business Innovation Group, SKY Perfect JSAT said: “We are proud to work with our partners to launch Japan’s first geostationary satellite-based 5G NTN demonstration. We deeply appreciate the support and advanced technology provided by partners such as VIAVI Solutions and Rohde & Schwarz. We look forward to accelerating the technology demonstration and use case development, paving the way for significant progress in commercializing the NTN business. We are very excited about this collaboration.”

Jonus Chen, Regional Vice President, North Asia, VIAVI, said: “We are excited to deliver validation solutions for SKY Perfect JSAT, to support their ambitions as the largest satellite operator in Asia. We are also pleased that our partnership with Rohde & Schwarz on the NTN testbed is fulfilling operator requirements for critical testing of satellite and HAPS networks and the traffic that runs across them.”

Alexander Pabst, Vice President of Wireless Communications at Rohde & Schwarz, said: “It fills us at Rohde & Schwarz with pride and honor to empower SKY Perfect JSAT’s Universal NTN Innovation Lab with our state-of-the-art solutions, in collaboration with VIAVI. By testing Ku-Band and 5G NTN technology as defined in 3GPP Release 19, we are standing at the cutting-edge of technology. This project reinforces our commitment for innovative and reliable solutions that pave the way for seamless, high-quality connectivity based on satellite communications.”