Each vendor tests their piece, but they all have to prove interoperability.
In the layered architecture of modern telecommunications, a quiet but consequential partnership has formed: ArrayComm, a builder of cellular base station hardware and software, has turned to Keysight Technologies to validate its equipment against the emerging O-RAN standard. This standard represents a philosophical departure from decades of vendor-controlled networks, inviting openness and interoperability where there was once consolidation. The collaboration reflects a broader industry reckoning — that the promise of 5G depends not only on speed, but on the integrity of the open systems that carry it.
- The wireless industry's long-standing model of single-vendor network control is fracturing, and O-RAN's open specifications are accelerating that break.
- With openness comes complexity — ArrayComm must now prove its components work not just in isolation, but across an entire ecosystem of mixed-vendor infrastructure.
- Keysight's suite of test tools — from vector transceivers to user equipment emulators — gives ArrayComm a way to stress-test its gear against both 3GPP and O-RAN standards before it reaches carriers.
- The stakes are high: a single non-conforming component in a disaggregated network can unravel the performance promises operators make to millions of customers.
- This partnership signals a maturing 5G supply chain, where rigorous end-to-end validation is becoming as essential as the technology itself.
ArrayComm, a wireless hardware and software company focused on cellular base stations, has selected Keysight Technologies to test and validate its equipment against O-RAN — a set of open specifications reshaping how mobile networks are built. For decades, carriers purchased complete systems from a single manufacturer. O-RAN dismantles that model by separating radio hardware from its controlling software and defining standard interfaces between components, allowing operators to assemble networks from multiple vendors. The promise is lower costs and faster innovation; the challenge is ensuring every piece works reliably with every other.
To meet that challenge, ArrayComm will deploy several of Keysight's tools: a vector transceiver to measure transmitter and receiver performance on base stations using 4x4 MIMO antenna technology, a user equipment emulator to replicate real device behavior on the network, and a traffic generation platform to stress-test infrastructure under realistic load conditions. ArrayComm's CEO Xin Huang described the decision as a response to the layered complexity O-RAN introduces — components must now conform to both 3GPP global cellular standards and newer O-RAN specifications, while also proving interoperability with third-party gear across the full protocol stack.
Keysight, which reported $4.2 billion in revenue in fiscal 2020, offers an integrated test portfolio spanning from the radio access network edge to the core — a breadth that appealed to ArrayComm over assembling tools from multiple sources. The partnership mirrors a wider transformation in 5G deployment, where disaggregated network architectures demand rigorous conformance and performance validation as the price of openness.
ArrayComm, a maker of wireless software and hardware for cellular base stations, has chosen Keysight Technologies to help it build and test equipment that follows the O-RAN standard—a set of open specifications designed to let mobile carriers mix and match network gear from different vendors instead of being locked into a single supplier.
The partnership matters because the wireless industry is shifting. For decades, carriers bought complete systems from one manufacturer. O-RAN breaks that model apart. It separates the radio hardware from the software that controls it, and it defines standard interfaces between the pieces. This lets operators assemble networks from multiple vendors, theoretically reducing costs and speeding innovation. But it also means every component has to work reliably with every other component, which is where testing becomes critical.
ArrayComm will use Keysight's suite of test tools to validate its own 4G and 5G components before they ship to carriers. The company selected Keysight's vector transceiver—a device that measures how well a transmitter and receiver perform—to test base stations equipped with 4x4 MIMO antenna technology, which allows a single radio to send and receive multiple data streams simultaneously. ArrayComm will also deploy Keysight's user equipment emulation platform, which simulates how real phones and devices behave on the network, and another tool that generates realistic internet traffic loads to stress-test the infrastructure.
Xin Huang, ArrayComm's chief executive, framed the decision as a way to navigate the complexity that open standards introduce. Where a traditional vendor could control every layer of its system, ArrayComm now has to prove its components conform to both 3GPP standards—the global specifications for cellular networks—and the newer O-RAN specifications. It also has to verify that its gear interoperates with equipment from other makers and performs reliably under real-world conditions across the entire protocol stack, from the physical radio layer up through the application layer.
Keysight, which generated $4.2 billion in revenue in fiscal 2020, positions itself as offering an integrated portfolio that spans from the edge of the radio access network all the way to the core. Giampaolo Tardioli, vice president of Keysight's network access test group, noted that ArrayComm's choice reflects confidence in having a single vendor provide end-to-end validation tools rather than stitching together solutions from multiple sources.
The partnership is emblematic of a broader shift in how 5G networks are being built. Mobile operators are increasingly interested in disaggregated architectures—networks where the radio units, distributed processing units, and centralized control units can come from different suppliers and still work together. That flexibility requires rigorous conformance testing and performance validation. Keysight's test solutions are designed to handle that verification across radio and optical domains, ensuring that each component meets specification and that the system as a whole delivers the performance carriers promise their customers.
Citações Notáveis
It is important to align our efforts with 5G leaders such as Keysight to navigate complexities introduced by open RAN.— Xin Huang, CEO of ArrayComm
ArrayComm's choice reflects appreciation for an integrated portfolio that enables them to speed validation of 4G and 5G solutions across different chipset platforms.— Giampaolo Tardioli, VP of Keysight's network access test group
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does ArrayComm need Keysight's help? Can't they just build their equipment and ship it?
They could, but it would fail in the field. O-RAN is a standard, which means ArrayComm's gear has to prove it meets that standard and works with equipment from other vendors. That requires specialized test equipment they don't make themselves.
So this is really about open standards forcing companies to be more rigorous?
Partly. But it's also about the economics. When you're locked into one vendor, that vendor tests everything. With O-RAN, each vendor tests their piece, but they all have to prove interoperability. That's more work, but it's the price of breaking the monopoly.
What does ArrayComm actually make that needs testing?
Physical layer software and hardware for base stations—the radio equipment that talks to phones. They're building components that fit into the O-RAN architecture, so they need to validate that their transmitters, receivers, and antenna systems work correctly.
And Keysight's tools simulate real phones and traffic?
Yes. They have a platform that emulates user equipment—it acts like thousands of phones connecting to the network—and another that generates realistic data traffic. You can't just test in a lab with a single connection. You need to see how the equipment behaves under load, with real protocol behavior.
Does this partnership mean O-RAN is actually happening, or is it still theoretical?
It's happening. Carriers are deploying it. But it's still early. Partnerships like this one are how the ecosystem matures—vendors proving their gear works, building confidence that the standard actually delivers on its promise.