As the fifth-generation (5G) of mobile communications technology is upon you, network providers, mobile phone manufacturers, and the Internet of Things (IoT) manufacturers should find a way to keep up. 5G technology will introduce you to the Tactile Internet world, which can be used to improve Industry and Transportation services significantly. The time for driverless cars is fast approaching, and with this, the need to have networks and products tested for 5G compatibility is of utter importance.
Technology manufacturers must face the challenges of having their products tested against 5G technology. Companies that offer a 5G lab as a service for testing upcoming network solutions are a blessing for network solutions manufacturers. With 5G technology’s promise of superfast connectivity, people will demand that new products designed for 5G technology will deliver expected speeds.
What Are the Benefits of Using a 5G Testing Laboratories?
With the expected implementation of 5G technology starting this 2020, network and network equipment manufacturers are faced with new challenges in testing their experimental hardware, software, and end-to-end deployments.
Independent 5G testing laboratories will test product performance on 5G technology aspects such as on millimeter waves, massive MIMO, beamforming, and network slicing. An independent 5G lab as a service will give network solutions providers and manufacturers the following benefits.
Objectivity
Third-party testing will guarantee that the test results are objective and free from biases or influence. Independent 5G testing laboratories already have a “roadmap” on properly testing innovations for 5G compatibility. When 5G laboratories release their analytical report claiming products to pass 5G technology standards, manufacturers can include this certification in their ads campaign.
An independent 5G testing laboratory has only one primary purpose – to give out objective analytical data on the quality of 5G-compatible products through three rigorous testing phases, namely:
- Technology Verification and Validation.
- Deploy, Activate, and Scale
- Assure, Optimize, and Monetize
Save on Money
Since 5G is significantly different from the existing 4G/LTE technology, the laboratories that did their product testing in the past will no longer be able to verify whether their products are 5G worthy using existing environments. This means that manufacturers will have to create a new testing architecture designed for 5G testing. This will be a costly venture, especially for small manufacturers. These manufacturers may save money by securing the services of a third-party company that offers a 5G lab as a service. Availing the functions of 5G testing laboratories will also reduce manufacturers’ expenses to train their technical guys to come up with the proper testing protocol when these protocols are already available with independent testing laboratories.
Reducing the amount of money that manufacturers have to shell out on 5G testing will play a vital role in the success of their 5G products. When manufacturers employ a 5G testing laboratory, this laboratory will already have an established set of protocols to follow in fully-testing the 5G capabilities of new products.
When network manufacturers use a 5G lab as a service, they will save upon millions of dollars in their operational and capital expenses to create and develop the latest network and security development and testing environments which are already available from third-party providers.
Save Time
Developing a set of protocols for testing 5G technologies will also take up a lot of time. When manufacturers employ 5G testing laboratories, the equipment and protocols are already available for use.