the demand for high data throughput with modern radio access networks is one of the main factors driving the evolution of digital communications standards. to meet this requirement and to increase the maximum data rates for hsdpa/hsupa (=hspa together), additional enhancements to the hspa standard have been made. these enhancements are defined in releases 7 and 8 of the 3gpp specification and are referred to as hspa .
the enhancements on the physical layer include:
- higher order modulation (64qam) for higher data rates
- multiple input multiple output (mimo) for higher data throughput in the downlink
- continuous packet connectivity (cpc) for reduction of latency and control information overhead
- new test signals for physical layer testing
the r&s®amu-k59 option for the r&s®amu200a vector signal generator allows the internal generation of standard-conforming hspa signals in line with 3gpp releases 7 and 8. supported features include correct mimo coding, new hspa -specific channel parameters as well as channel coding (h-sets). this enables the test engineer to thoroughly investigate the performance of hspa receivers, no matter whether the physical layer tests are to be performed at the component level (power amplifiers, filters, etc.) or on complete receivers in base stations or mobile phones. signals for demanding diversity and mimo tests are intuitively generated. due to the versatility of the r&s®amu200a, interoperability tests with other mobile communications standards (see options for the r&s®amu200a) are easily possible as well.