AmpliTech partners with Open6G OTIC for 5G testing
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The Open6G Open Testing and Integration Centre (OTIC) at the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things (WIoT) at Northeastern University have announced entering into a partnership and contractual agreement with AmpliTech Group, a NASDAQ company, to perform 5G interoperability testing (IoT) and conformance testing of AmpliTech’s newly released, O-RAN CAT B 64T64R MIMO radio unit (O-RU). This activity will take place at the Open6G OTIC in Boston and Burlington, Massachusetts. AmpliTech Group is a designer, developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art signal-processing components for satellite, 5G and other communications networks, design of complete 5G/6G systems, global distributor of packages and lids for integrated circuit assembly.
The Open6G OTIC will provide a comprehensive platform for automated integration and testing of O-RAN systems, services and solutions. This activity will demonstrate for the first time an end-to-end, multi-vendor, virtualised O-RAN-compliant Massive MIMO network including core, RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) and AI. The Open6G OTIC will use its 64Tx64R ORAN testing facility powered by Keysight’s state-of-the-art E6464A Multi Transceiver RF Test Set (MTRX) to perform IoT and conformance testing of the AmpliTech 64T64R O-RU in a multi-vendor environment, with CU/DU provided by major 5G players in the industry. The tests also involve performance evaluation of the radios to meet the necessary capacity and throughput requirements sought by MNOs (Mobile Network Operators).
The Open6G OTIC is ready to support new market entrants and established players to explore and validate their new solutions for O-RAN systems. The end-to-end interoperability testing, conducted by the Open6G OTIC, will provide a platform for any vendor to bring and test their infrastructure. The Open6G OTIC also recently announced its partnership with the operators AT&T and Verizon as a neutral testing facility to support the Acceleration of Compatibility and Commercialisation for Open RAN Deployments (ACCoRD) project.
“We are excited to partner with AmpliTech in this industry-first demonstration of a fully virtualised, O-RAN compliant 64T64R Massive MIMO network,” said Tommaso Melodia, the director of WIoT at Northeastern University. “In collaboration with our partners, we lead a unique ecosystem for innovation and testing to support industry, the federal government and academia toward deploying open, programmable and AI-native networks.”
Fawad Maqbool, the CEO of AmpliTech Group, said, “This is yet another major accomplishment in our constant push to bring 5G solutions to the industry. We are proudly teaming up with the Northeastern University Open6G OTIC that provides the broadest set of unparalleled expertise and capabilities in 5G and O-RAN to conduct this key interoperability testing of our radios. Our collaboration extends beyond research, aiming to deliver practical end-to-end systems to MNOs, thereby making O-RAN adoption acceptable to key industry players.”
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