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Cellular ORAN Emulators
Validate ORAN components and user equipment
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Cellular Base Station Performance Testing
From lab validation to field deployment confidence
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Cellular Virtual Drive Test Emulation
Emulate real-world mobility and RF conditions in the lab
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RF Network Drive Test Solutions
From field measurements to deep network insights and optimization
Cellular ORAN Emulators
Keysight cellular ORAN emulators are divided into two categories: ORAN emulators and user equipment (UE) emulators. These emulators provide functional and performance testing across disaggregated network elements, including the radio unit (RU), distributed unit (DU), central unit (CU), and cellular core. These tools support emulation of ORAN fronthaul (7-2x), midhaul (F1), and backhaul (N2 / N3) interfaces, with configurable traffic profiles, real-time key performance indicator (KPI) monitoring, and multivendor interoperability testing. Key features include support for ORAN split architectures, time and frequency synchronization testing, log capture and analysis, and dynamic scenario execution. Select emulators based on the network element you are validating and the interfaces you need to emulate. Need help selecting? Check out the resources below.
Cellular Base Station Performance Testing
Keysight cellular base station performance testing solutions provide a flexible, software-driven platform for validating 5G NR, LTE, and ORAN gNB performance across the full development life cycle. These systems emulate realistic radio environments with support for fading, beamforming, and load testing across sub-6 GHz (FR1), millimeter-wave (mmWave) (FR2), and non-terrestrial networks (NTN). The portfolio includes high-performance transceivers with scalable RF channel counts, wide bandwidth support, and real-time fading capabilities. Integrated software toolsets enable automated KPI testing, multiple-input / multiple-output (MIMO) and massive MIMO channel modeling, and over-the-air (OTA) validation. Designed for lab and production environments, the solutions support remote head configurations, cloud-based control, and standards-aligned test automation through open APIs. Request a quote for one of our popular configurations today. Need help selecting? Check out the resources below.
Cellular Virtual Drive Test Emulation
The Keysight cellular virtual drive test emulation toolset enables engineers to test base stations by emulating real-world RF propagation and mobility scenarios with lab-grade repeatability. Using channel models derived from actual drive test data, the toolset reproduces geographic and environmental conditions to assess how base stations perform. It supports FR1 and FR2, integrates with network emulators and channel emulators, and allows validation of beam management, handovers, and throughput across a range of mobility profiles. Choose one of our popular configurations or configure one specific to your application. Request a quote for the Keysight cellular virtual drive test emulation toolset today. Need help selecting? Check out the resources below.
RF Network Drive Test Solutions
Keysight RF network drive test solutions enable you to measure, analyze, and optimize wireless network performance in real-world conditions. Choose from autonomous monitoring, handheld testing, network benchmarking, post-processing solution, 5G new radio (NR) drive test, and remote control and management solutions to match your testing requirements. Explore our comprehensive RF network drive test portfolio to find the solution that is right for your application. Need help selecting? Check out the resources below.
Accelerate Open RAN Innovation: From Lab to Live Network
In this video, you'll discover how Open RAN innovation is being fast-tracked with a powerful ecosystem of design, emulation, and testing tools. You’ll learn how these solutions help engineers bridge the gap between lab prototypes and real-world deployments, speed up integration and interoperability testing across multi-vendor environments, and ensure that Open RAN components meet performance, reliability, and deployment readiness from day one.
Find Compatible Software and Accessories for your UE, RAN, Core Emulator, or RF Network Drive Testing Solution
Choose from a wide range of modeling, validation, and application-specific software and accessories—including channel emulators, RF front ends, and timing modules—to support cellular UE, RAN, and core emulation as well as RF network drive test.
Explore UE, RAN, Core Emulator, and RF Network Drive Testing Use Cases
Discover how cellular test solutions support a wide range of applications across industries.
Wireless
How to Emulate Massive MIMO End-to-End
Explore best practices for end-to-end MIMO testing using integrated tools for RF, baseband, and protocol validation across real-world scenarios.
Wireless
How to Validate NTN Base Stations
Learn to validate non-terrestrial network (NTN) base stations using real-world channel conditions and satellite link emulation.
Wireless
How to Test Massive MIMO RF Beamforming
Learn to measure phase- and time-coherent RF signals across all antenna ports simultaneously—a critical step in validating performance.
5G
How to Validate mMIMO in RF Fading Conditions
Learn how to validate massive MIMO performance under dynamic RF fading conditions using scalable channel emulation and over-the-air test setups.
5G
How to Optimize 5G Massive MIMO
Discover how to set up and optimize 5G massive MIMO systems, measuring antenna arrays, emulate RF, apply beamforming, and assessing key KPIs.
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Download Keysight software or update your software to the newest version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing the right emulator depends on the network element, interface, and workflow you need to validate. UE emulators help evaluate end-to-end RAN performance across terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, while ORAN emulators support functional and performance testing across disaggregated elements such as the radio unit (RU), distributed unit (DU), centralized unit (CU), and cellular core. For core network validation, 5G core testing solutions help validate core network functions and cloud-native network behavior.
For subsystem testing, select the emulator that matches the element or interface under test, such as ORAN fronthaul 7-2x, midhaul F1, or backhaul N2 / N3. For end-to-end validation, combine UE, ORAN, RAN, core, channel emulation, and RF drive-test workflows to connect lab validation with deployment readiness.
Key considerations include the network element under test, supported interfaces, emulation scale, traffic profile configuration, real-time KPI monitoring, synchronization testing, log capture and analysis, dynamic scenario execution, and multivendor interoperability support. For Open RAN workflows, interface coverage across fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul is especially important.
For base station and gNB performance testing, consider support for 5G NR, LTE, ORAN gNBs, FR1, FR2 / mmWave, NTN, fading, beamforming, load testing, scalable RF channel counts, wide bandwidth, and real-time fading. Integrated software toolsets can also support automated KPI testing, MIMO and massive MIMO channel modeling, OTA validation, cloud-based control, and standards-aligned automation through open APIs.
UE, RAN, and core emulation work together by recreating the behavior of real network elements and interfaces in a controlled lab environment. UE emulation can generate traffic and mobility behavior, ORAN and RAN test tools can validate radio access performance and interoperability, and core testing can validate 5G core network functions.
In an Open RAN environment, this approach helps engineers test interactions across RU, DU, CU, and core elements, including fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul interfaces. By combining traffic profiles, RF conditions, KPI monitoring, log analysis, synchronization testing, and dynamic scenarios, teams can troubleshoot integration issues and improve performance, reliability, and deployment readiness before live-network rollout.
UE, RAN, and core emulators can support functional testing, performance testing, load testing, interoperability testing, synchronization testing, traffic modeling, mobility validation, and end-to-end network performance analysis. These workflows are especially useful for validating 5G NR, LTE, ORAN gNBs, Open RAN components, 5G core network functions, and cloud-native network functions.
For real-world performance validation, cellular virtual drive test emulation recreates RF propagation and mobility scenarios in the lab using channel models derived from actual drive test data. RF network drive test solutions complement this by measuring, analyzing, and optimizing live wireless network performance through autonomous monitoring, handheld testing, network benchmarking, post-processing, outdoor 5G NR drive testing, and remote fleet management.
These solutions scale by combining configurable traffic profiles, load testing, scalable RF channel counts, real-time KPI monitoring, and MIMO / massive MIMO channel modeling. For massive MIMO, Keysight’s page references testing user and signal performance with up to 8x8 spatial multiplexing MIMO, up to 64-channel massive MIMO and beamforming configurations, and O-RU or complete base station RF MIMO performance.
For multi-vendor Open RAN environments, ORAN emulators support functional and performance testing across RU, DU, CU, and core elements, along with fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul interface emulation. This helps engineering teams evaluate interoperability, synchronization, traffic behavior, and KPIs such as throughput, latency, spectral efficiency, EVM, ACLR, call setup success rate, handover success rate, and power consumption.
UE, RAN, and core emulators can be integrated into automated test environments using software-driven control, configurable traffic profiles, real-time KPI monitoring, log capture, analysis workflows, dynamic scenario execution, and open APIs. For base station performance testing, integrated software toolsets support automated KPI testing, OTA validation, cloud-based control, and standards-aligned test automation.
For cloud-native workflows, Keysight’s cloud-native function test solutions support validation of 5G CNF resiliency and benchmarking of cloud-native infrastructure performance with automated Kubernetes-based testing. Compatible software and accessories, including channel emulators, RF front ends, and timing modules, can help extend the test setup across UE, RAN, core emulation, and RF network drive test workflows.