Validation at the Edge: Lab

This executive insights handout serves as a companion resource to Episode 2 of Keysight's "Engineering at the Edge" webinar series, a four-part virtual event exploring next-generation system validation in 2026.

As wireless, radar, satellite, and optical systems push into mmWave and sub-THz frequencies — 6G at FR3, wideband radar, coherent optical beyond 200 GBd — signal loss rises, phase noise compounds, and small measurement errors become indistinguishable from device behavior. At these frequencies, lab validation requires instrumentation built for signal purity and phase stability where measurement pushes its limits.

The handout addresses four critical lab validation challenges: generating wideband signals with ultra-low phase noise for 5G, 6G, and advanced radar; characterizing complex nonlinear device behavior at millimeter-wave frequencies; validating optical and high-speed digital performance at multi-terabit speeds; and extending measurement range into mmWave and sub-THz.

Keysight solutions featured include the XG5-class MXG Vector Signal Generator for ultra-low phase noise signal generation across 5G, 6G, and advanced radar; the XN8-class PNA-X Vector Network Analyzer for complex nonlinear characterization with four phase-coherent sources and eight receivers to 50 GHz; the SX2-class DCA-M Sampling Oscilloscope and XR8-class Oscilloscope for optical and high-speed digital validation at 224G and beyond; and Frequency Extenders for PNA/PNA-X extending measurement range up to 250 GHz for fully calibrated mmWave S-parameter measurements.

The handout features a real-world success story: Nokia Bell Labs worked with Keysight to achieve record 260 GBaud coherent transmission over 100 km, demonstrating net bitrates beyond 2 Tbit/s per wavelength and advancing long-haul optical infrastructure.

This resource is designed for RF engineers, signal integrity engineers, mmWave device characterization engineers, and technical decision-makers working on wireless systems, advanced radar, optical interconnects, and high-speed digital applications.

As part of the Engineering at the Edge series, this handout connects to the other three episodes covering Pre-Silicon Validation, Network Traffic Validation, and Manufacturing Validation across the entire engineering lifecycle.