Channel Emulation Platform Serves 6G and Wi‑Fi 7/8 Testing
Recreating real-world wireless conditions in the lab for complex cellular, Wi-Fi, military, and aerospace RF technologies, VIAVI Solutions' latest enhanced version of the Vertex channel emulation platform has a 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth and supports carrier frequencies up to 23.6 GHz. The first channel emulator designed for next-generation 6G and Wi‑Fi 7/8 testing, the Vertex 6.0 natively supports newly defined 6G waveform and Wi‑Fi 7/8 bandwidth requirements.
Vertex 6.0 brings real-world RF propagation into the lab, complementing the TM500 network emulation platform and TeraVM application and security validation solutions. It is the first Vertex upgrade since VIAVI’s acquisition of Spirent Communications plc’s high-speed Ethernet, network security, and channel emulation testing business.
Available in field-replaceable RF modules that integrate into an existing 6U Vertex chassis, Vertex 6.0 adds to the 5G FR1/FR2 capabilities of the previous generation and now offers emulation for complex cellular, Wi-Fi, military, and aerospace RF technologies. Combined with the VIAVI FR3 MIMO converter and ray tracing with Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), the platform acts as a digital twin for RF propagation for use cases including FR3, Wi-Fi 7, AI-RAN, and ISAC.
Each 6U Vertex chassis has 36 RF ports, 256 digital links, and up to 1.6 GHz of bandwidth, and supports FR3 bands with up to 1 GHz of bandwidth for 6G networks, including multiuser (MU) MIMO with phase alignment and support for both TDD and FDD modes. For Wi-Fi 7/8, it includes native support for 320 MHz and 4096 QAM, supporting 2x2 up to 8x8 configurations. The channel emulator also includes a wide range of modes, including for anechoic and reverberation OTA chambers, as well as NTN (LEO, MEO, and GEO), mesh, drone, and ISAC networks.
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About the Author
Alix Paultre
Editor-at-Large, Microwaves & RF
Alix is Editor-at-Large for Microwaves & RF.
An Army veteran, Alix Paultre was a signals intelligence soldier on the East/West German border in the early ‘80s, and eventually wound up helping launch and run a publication on consumer electronics for the U.S. military stationed in Europe. Alix first began in this industry in 1998 at Electronic Products magazine, and since then has worked for a variety of publications, most recently as Editor-in-Chief of Power Systems Design.
Alix currently lives in Wiesbaden, Germany.