Rohde & Schwarz highlights its one-box tester tailored for NTN testing at MWC Barcelona 2026
The CMX500 one-box signalling tester from Rohde & Schwarz has evolved into a versatile, all-in-one platform for NTN testing, supporting NR-NTN, NB-NTN and Direct-to-Cell (D2C, DTC) technologies within a single unit. With the CMX500, users can now test all NTN technologies on both network and device level, without the need for multiple instruments, thus accelerating development and ensuring quality of new NTN services to be deployed with confidence.
As NTN matures alongside 5G and looks towards 6G, overcoming significant technical hurdles is key to realising its potential. Unlike terrestrial networks, NTNs present unique communication challenges due to the dynamic nature of satellites. Rapid satellite movement causes frequent changes in signal characteristics, including Doppler frequency shifts, variable propagation delay and high path loss, requiring advanced channel emulation. Further complexity arises from the use of multiple orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO) and frequency bands, often necessitating Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) instead of the Time Division Duplex (TDD) common in terrestrial networks.
While the CMX500 is an established instrument in the 5G ecosystem, Rohde & Schwarz has recently expanded its functionalities to address the specific complexities of satellite-based communication. The CMX500 supports two primary testing configurations: Full Satellite Access Network (SAN) emulation for device manufacturers, simulating the complete NTN architecture for comprehensive device testing, and gNB and 5G core network emulation for satellite network operators, validating satellite network components against standards-compliant cellular technologies.
The Constellation Insight Tool further enhances the CMX500 to support NTN testing scenarios. This software enables engineers to visualise satellite constellations in real-time, manage mobility and observe trajectories, effectively creating a digital twin of the live sky. It allows for automated deployment and handovers, it integrates precise ephemeris data to simulate realistic mobility and impairment compensation, and it supports complex handover scenarios.
Rohde & Schwarz also offers a XLAPI Python Test Case package, which includes a range of Starlink LTE-DTC test scenarios. These scenarios cover, for example, LTE attach time and success rates in DTC mode, Event A3 handover, cell reselection between intra-frequency LTE DTC cells and recovery after radio link failure (RLF) on LTE DTC cells. The AI-powered script generation tool ScriptAssist further supports users, accelerating scripting for NTN-specific R&D protocol and application testing as well as instrument automation.
The CMX500 is the only available NTN test solution that differentiates between propagation emulation and fading. It addresses space-to-ground effects, such as Doppler, delay and scattering, separately from terrestrial impairments, such as reflections and receiver-induced Doppler. This allows space-to-ground effects and terrestrial impairments to be modelled and controlled independently of each other, enabling more accurate and flexible testing of NTN scenarios.
Visitors to MWC Barcelona 2026 can experience the extensive NTN testing capabilities of the CMX500 at the Rohde & Schwarz booth 5A80 in hall 5 from March 2 to 5, 2026.
https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/cmx-ntn
