COMPRION GmbH - Experts & Thought Leaders

The mobile network standardisation body 3GPP introduced two new features – PSM (Power Saving Mode) and eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception) – minimising power consumption of IoT devices and extending their battery power up to ten years. In IoT applications such as container tracking, intelligent meters, or agriculture sensors, the devices do not need to send or receive data continuously. Oliver Wruck, Director MNTS at Comprion, explains: “Being an important member of the mobile ecosystem, we felt the need to test the UICC interface for devices that support PSM and eDRX in order to prevent unpleasant surprises when the devices go live in mobile networks.” Mobile-terminated traffic In PSM, the device can switch to a sort of power-off mode for an agreed amount of time. If the device must transmit data, it can wake up without the need of reattaching to the network and the necessary signaling. eDRX makes it possible to considerably extend the time interval during which the device is not listening to the network. For mobile-terminated traffic, this feature improves power conservation vastly. 3GPP requires the terminals that implement PSM or eDRX functionality to be thoroughly tested from Release 14 on In order to assure reliable switching between deactivation and activation of the UICC interface, 3GPP requires the terminals that implement PSM or eDRX functionality to be thoroughly tested from Release 14 on. Comprion took the lead with the creation of corresponding test cases. “We have drafted eleven tests for the 3GPP Working Group CT6. With their approval, the tests have become part of the test specifications for 3GPP TS 31.121 and 3GPP TS 31.124,” adds Comprion’s CT6 delegate, Dania Azem. Pre-conformance test solution The validation of the Comprion tests also initiated the activation of two new Global Certification Forum (GCF) work items: WI-301-NB (for NB-IoT devices) and WI-301-M (for LTE CatM1 terminals). Thus, the tests have become part of the GCF certification program. And the North American counterpart PTCRB has also added the tests to their RFTs (Request For Testing), which are the basis for their certification program. The Comprion PSM and eDRX tests for NB-IoT and LTE Cat M1 devices can be executed on the GCF/PTCRB-listed test platform 150 (SIMfony LTE CMW500). It consists of the Comprion UT³ Platform (SIM simulator) and the R&S CMW500 network simulator. It is also possible to run these tests during the development phase of a device using the Comprion pre-conformance test solution Prove 2 with R&S CMW500.

During the recent GCF CAG#52 October meeting in Venice, the new work item 249 was activated. This was possible because 100% of the contained test cases were validated on COMPRION test systems. “The work item covers several technologies such as card emulation, Bearer Independent Protocol (BIP), general device support, and Android-specific device support,” says Hajo Sandschneider, Marketing Director at COMPRION. “The referenced test cases are defined in the GSMA TS.27 NFC Handset Test Book. We are proud that 100% of the conformance test cases were validated by GCF so that work item 249 UICC based NFC Services (Rel-9) could be activated.” The new work item extends the test coverage for NFC-related conformance certification criteria in accordance with the conformance test cases defined in various chapters of the GSMA TS.27 document. The newly added test cases reached 100% validation on the COMPRION UT³ Platform listed as TP 118. UT³ Platform is COMPRION’s universal conformance platform for contact-based and contactless terminal testing.

The Design Validation, a new COMPRION test solution that enables manufacturers and integrators of NFC readers to validate their implementation early in the development phase is short-listed for the SESAMES Awards. The awards are part of the TRUSTECH show in Cannes, showcasing the best innovations in the trust-based tech industry. The winners of the awards will be presented in Cannes, at the Palais des Festivals on the French Riviera. Vector Field Probe “The main advantage of the Design Validation Platform is that the solution reduces the time-to-market of NFC readers drastically and keeps a lid on the development costs. Thus, end users benefit from more reliable NFC services even sooner,” states Michael Jahnich, Director of COMPRION’s business unit for contactless test solutions. “What makes the solution so special is a small but ingenious measurement antenna, the Vector Field Probe,” Jahnich adds. The electromagnetic coil measures the magnetic field of contactless readers detecting its x-, y- and z-components at customer-defined positions. The results are visualised by the Design Validation Center software, indicating the directions of the magnetic flux lines. Furthermore, the software offers various charts for in-depth analysis that help the user to optimise the design of a contactless reader. The new Design Validation Platform consists of the measurement devices CL Verify A and CL Quantify, the platform software Design Validation Center, and various antennas. Demos of the solution are available at the COMPRION stand during TRUSTECH.