LitePoint Corporation, a provider of wireless test system solutions, unveiled its new IQmax MIMO system aimed at WiMAX devices with Wave 2 functionality. The mobility adjuncts to the current WiMAX standard (IEEE standard 802.16e-2005) require capabilities beyond those of earlier versions, and LitePoint's new system provides those capabilities. The current WiMAX mobile radio interface uses scalable orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (SOFDMA) and supports multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications technology. The upshot is greater coverage, lower power consumption, and more efficient spectrum and bandwidth utilization.
"As ODMs and OEMs race to provide wireless device companies with the latest WiMAX capabilities, they need test solutions that give them a development edge, and solutions that provide product-quality advantages," said Onno Harms, LitePoint's WiMAX product manager. "With the new IQmax MIMO system, they have both."
Common Platform
As it has with previous test solutions, LitePoint's new system uses a common-platform approach that covers product development through product QA. The IQmax MIMO solution combines multiple IQmax-500 hardware units with the latest version of IQsignal software. Both have been updated to include the new MIMO requirements.
A basic system includes a pair of IQmax-500s plus a new synchronizing unit along with IQsignal, creating a 2x2 configuration. It can be expanded with up to two more IQmax-500s to implement a 4x4 set up.
New Waveform Software
Along with the introduction of IQmax MIMO, LitePoint is also introducing IQwave for WiMAX software. Used in conjunction with IQmax, IQwave can create arbitrary WiMAX waveforms which in turn generate actual baseband or RF signals after being loaded into the IQmax's vector signal generator (VSG). IQwave can generate fixed or mobile WiMAX waveforms for both single input/single output (SISO) and MIMO testing.
