Telenor IoT launches new testing facility for IoT

Testing is an important component for any development project, and in cellular IoT it is crucial to be confident the device will be reliable in as many different environments and conditions as possible before it’s shipped. With thorough IoT device testing before deployment customers can reduce time to market, improve test coverage and find issues early – to prevent costly troubleshooting later when massive number of products have already reached the market.

Since the early days of IoT many new and advanced connectivity technologies have been developed, for example LTE-M, NB-IoT and 5G providing enhanced coverage, improved energy consumption, and data throughput. However, the new features also add complexity and more scenarios where profiling and tuning of settings are required to extract the optimum performance for the customer’s specific use case.

The Telenor IoT Test Lab is located in Karlskrona, Sweden. The lab is equipped with a Faraday radio cage tuned specifically for testing of different networks. It provides access to the four Nordic Telenor operators, Telenor Sweden, Telenor Norway, DNA (Finland) and Telenor Denmark in one location. It has advanced steering and control systems allowing control of the available operator, access technology and even signal levels, allowing simulation of most network scenarios in a controlled and repeatable way.

Testing is always tailored to each customer’s individual needs and can be carried out either on-site or remotely by sending devices to the Telenor IoT test manager. Telenor is also able to offer automated long-term testing.

In addition to technical capabilities Telenor offers experienced test managers to provide support in planning the tests, analyzing test results, and providing solution suggestions for any issues that might arise during the testing.

Typical test scenarios that Telenor IoT customers can verify in the Test Lab facility are:

At what radio signal level does the device disconnect from the network? How does the device behave if the primary network temporarily disappears? Does it switch to another technology or operator? How fast does it recover?

Does the device follow the GSMA recommendations regarding efficiency guidelines?

How energy efficient is the device in various network conditions and signal strengths?

How will the device handle different roaming scenarios?