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Aeroflex announced recently that they have delivered a TM500 Time Division Duplex-Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) Test Mobile test system to the China Academy of Telecommunications Research (CATR). The TM500 will support CATR's ongoing TD-LTE technology trials conducted by leading Chinese and international network equipment vendors. The TM500 Test Mobile is installed at the MTNet laboratory in Beijing.

TD-LTE allows efficient allocation of downlink resources and opens up the unpaired spectrum for LTE. With a live trial network planned for the Shanghai Expo in May 2010, the roadmap for its deployment is extremely demanding, placing significant pressure on the early availability of feature-rich TD-LTE test equipment to support the ongoing lab and field trials.

Prior to the launch of commercial devices, test mobiles (test equipment that simulates user equipment) play a vital role in helping network equipment vendors, network operators, and government bodies evaluate the performance of LTE networks. Aeroflex's TM500 Test Mobile is fully compliant with TD-LTE specifications; it can emulate Cat 3 and 4 user equipment (UE) with downlink data rates of up to 150 Mbps.

"Aeroflex's willingness to support the trials will provide valuable help in achieving the Chinese government's aim of building a complete TD-LTE eco-system and accelerating the commercialization of the technology," said Wei Ran, Deputy Director, Institute of Communication Standard Research, China Academy of Telecommunications Research.

"For the past 15 months, Aeroflex has worked closely with China Mobile and its network equipment suppliers to develop reliable, high-performance network equipment. We look forward to continuing our partnerships in China to ensure the success of TD-LTE," said Jimmy Tan, vice president, Aeroflex Asia. "Looking forward, we will soon deliver complementary R&D tools to support the development of TD-LTE UEs and data dongles."

TM500 enables base station testing before user equipment is available
In the demanding world of cellular equipment development, base stations typically arrive long before the actual mobile handset or other mobile device is ready. Without a working mobile device, base stations cannot be tested without a test mobile system. The TM500 Test Mobile takes the place of user equipment that is not yet available. For example, TM500 Test Mobile systems can emulate an HSPA+ handset UE, LTE UE with 300Mbit/s performance, or multiple UEs for LTE development and capacity testing.

Every major infrastructure vendor, and a majority of femtocell (miniature wireless base station) manufacturers, use the TM500 throughout their product development cycle. TM500 is the de facto industry standard for 3GPP verification, validation, and optimization. From HSDPA through HSUPA and HSPA+ to LTE, TM500 offers all the capabilities of a mobile terminal with advanced test functionality.

About Aeroflex
Aeroflex Incorporated is a global provider of high technology solutions to the aerospace, defense, cellular and broadband communications markets. The Company's diverse technologies allow it to design, develop, manufacture and market a broad range of test, measurement and microelectronic products. Aeroflex Incorporated was founded in 1937 and today has more than 2,600 employees worldwide. For more information, visit: www.aeroflex.com.

SOURCE: Aeroflex