US : Agilent Technologies announced that it has added fading technology to two lab applications used in testing mobile handsets, PDAs and other wireless devices.

The E6702B cdma2000 and E6703C W-CDMA lab applications, when used with the Agilent N5115A Baseband Studio for Fading and the Agilent E5515C (8960 ) wireless communication test set, provide wireless device developers and qualification labs an affordable solution to enhance their qualification process.

These solutions emulate faded network conditions, such as modeling rural or urban environments, enabling design engineers to thoroughly test cdma2000 and W-CDMA designs locally. The fading capability increases verification test-screening confidence, reducing the risk of designs being returned because of failing conformance criteria. The test solutions increase throughput in verification labs by reducing bottlenecks at the conformance test system used to test products, and by off-loading various tests such as the "Demodulation of Forward Traffic Channel in Multipath Fading" found in the IS-98 standards, to the E5515C configuration.

"Agilent has created an affordable, fading desk-top solution that expedites wireless device development, and has the flexibility to adapt to emerging technology," said Earl Thompson, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Wireless Division. "Our fading solution costs thousands less than alternative systems, yet offers fast, accurate and repeatable performance."

The Agilent fading solutions digitally fade the forward link at the baseband, eliminating the need for complicated system-level calibration or concerns about RF path characteristics degrading the fading accuracy -- often the case in analog faded systems. The new lab-application interfaces help developers easily identify and solve tough problems such as the interaction of parametric, and signaling and timing issues triggered by network fading.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

All of the following products are available now:

Description Price
Agilent E6702B cdma2000 Lab Application $35,120
Agilent E6703C W-CDMA Lab Application $36,000
Agilent E5515C (8960 Series 10) Wireless Communications Test Set $48,500 to $54,500
Agilent N5115A Baseband Studio for Fading $20,500 to $22,500