Measurement Journal Issue 6

H High-speed packet access (HSPA) is a collection of mobile telephony protocols which are today being deployed quickly around the world (see the sidebar, HSPA review). According to a March 2008 survey from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (www.gsacom.com), seven in eight commercial W-CDMA operators have already launched HSPA and more than 1.1 billion GSM and W-CDMA subscribers now receive service on commercial HSPA-enabled networks. As further evidence of HSPA’s emergence on the commercial scene, consider that the 2008 Beijing Olympics are being touted as the ﬁrst broadband Olympics. In support of this designation, China Mobile has committed to launch its HSPA network this year as a way to provide high-speed wireless communications to the masses. The beneﬁts of adding HSPA to a wireless network include much higher data rates in the downlink and uplink, lower latency and expanded coverage areas for high-speed data. By deploying HSPA, operators can offer a wider array of revenue-generating data services such as VoIP and mobile gaming. Any new technology, however, comes with a price. In the case of HSPA, its evolving standards, complex protocol stacks and embedded applications require far greater software and hardware performance. A prime example is the HSPA mobile phone, which must carry voice and high-speed data while managing handovers, power output and responses to the RF environment. This workload places tough demands on the device’s transmitter, processor, internal buses, and memory allocation — and this calls for more testing and veriﬁcation in the design lab. Fortunately, test and measurement suppliers have introduced products to help mobile phone designers catch problems early in the development cycle, when the problems are easier and less costly to ﬁx. This article details some of the key challenges of testing and validating HSPA mobile phones and proposes an effective test strategy that mimics real-world scenarios. Agilent Measurement Journal 26 http://www.gsacom.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Measurement Journal Issue 6

Measurement Journal Issue 6 Using a Few Words to Convey a Deeply-Held Spirit Charting a Unique Path to Technology Innovation Contents Announcing First Commercial GC/MS Metabolites Library Assessing Nonlinear Behavior Testing Combines Form and Function Testing Multiplay Networks Higher Sensitivity LC/MS Easing Military Radio Test Stepping Up Calibration Accuracy Increasing Spectrum Analyzer Bandwidth 3GPP Tool Supports TS 36 Standards The Olympic Story Spotlights Agilent's Continuing Contribution to Technology Innovation Ensuring a Level Playing Field in Competitive Sports GPS: Coming of Age Resolving Design Issues in HSPA Mobile Devices Achieving Accurate Results with Oscilloscope-Based Jitter-Analysis Software RF Handheld Testers Guarantee Traffic Stability Under Olympic-Sized Stress Conditions Utilizing LAN-Based Instrumentation to Measure Total Harmonic Distortion in Remote Facilities IMT-Advanced: 4G Wireless Takes Shape in an Olympic Year EPO Doping: A Speed Engine, Turbo-Charged by Chemistry

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