OPPO, Ericsson join hands to upgrade the OPPO Communication Lab

OPPO officially unveiled the secret behind many of its 5G technologies – the OPPO Communication Lab – which has recently been upgraded in partnership with Ericsson, the world's leading provider of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to services providers.

Autonomous Testing Robot at OPPO Communication Lab

Through the newly-upgraded Communication Lab, OPPO can now fully realize the entire 5G research and development process, from the underlying RF front-end, to software protocol updates and regional tuning and testing. The advanced communication lab will ensure that OPPO smartphones will be among the first to implement many of the latest 5G technologies, making OPPO the ideal partner for leading global technology providers and operators as they expand their 5G services. At the same time, the lab also allows OPPO to play a more important role in driving the evolution of global communication technologies.

Strong partnership leads to upgraded global 5G innovation

The newly-upgraded OPPO Communication Lab contains three major modules: Radio Frequency Lab, Protocol Lab, and Network Simulation Lab.

The Network Simulation Lab is a collaboration between OPPO and Ericsson while the Protocol Lab is jointly established by OPPO and leading testing technology provider Keysight.

Chris Shu, Vice President and General Manager of Product Strategy Planning and Cooperation Center, OPPO, said: "The upgraded OPPO Communication Lab is a new milestone in OPPO’s endeavor in 5G, and represents a new level of close cooperation with leading global technology companies. With the rapid evolution of global 5G technology, we are pleased to join hands with Ericsson and Keysight to leverage our experience in 5G standards, products and applications to enhance the 5G ecosystem worldwide".

Magnus Ewerbring，Vice President and CTO Asia-Pacific Ericsson states: Furthering the OPPO and Ericsson collaboration will bring forward more technology and products to lead 5G market demand and direction, as well as optimize 5G network experience for the end user. As a leader in the global 5G market, Ericsson looks forward to collaborating with industry partners in building the 5G ecosystem and driving innovation to unleash the full potential of 5G technology.

“The world’s leading 5G mobile device manufacture such as OPPO, is fully aware that reliability testing is mandatory before launching the competitive commercial products into the market.” said Cao Peng, vice president and general manager for Keysight's wireless test group,“ The protocol lab and RF lab is a critical milestone for Keysight and OPPO on 5G. Keysight 5G solutions enable OPPO’s technical engineers to efficiently conduct power consumption testing, regression testing, new feature interoperability testing etc, and also to emulate crowd streets and high speed train scenarios which could further help OPPO implement their 5G strategy and introduce their leading 5G products into the market as early as possible.”

Three lab modules to cover end-to-end 5G research

OPPO Communication Lab consists of three modules: the Network Simulation Lab, the Radio Frequency Lab, and the Protocol Lab. The Network Simulation Lab, which closely reflects actual urban communication networks, can simulate the 4G/5G networks of different operators and provide communication services for up to 10,000 devices. As such, pre-testing requirements for 5G commercialization in any area of the world can be tested in the lab.

Testing Smartphone at OPPO Communication Lab

In addition to the Network Simulation Lab, the OPPO Communication Lab also includes a Radio Frequency Lab and a Protocol Lab. Nowadays, smartphones are used for a multitude of tasks in an equally varied range of scenarios – from joining video meetings while taking a high-speed train, to watching live streams in crowded shopping malls, or taking photos and uploading them to social media anywhere in the world. Behind each of these scenarios are extensive tests conducted by researchers in the lab to ensure that devices can achieve stable connections under these varied environments.

The Protocol Lab on the other hand supports technicians in conducting research related to power consumption, regression testing, and joint new feature testing, helping to drive innovation from different approaches. For example, the lab is currently conducting research related to the upcoming first evolution of the 5G standard, Release 16, which is more environmentally friendly thanks to improved communication efficiency between smartphones and networks, which reduces the power consumption of smartphones and base stations.

Leading through innovation towards the era of Internet of Experience

With its strengths in scientific research and the support of its global industry partners, OPPO has achieved many milestones in 5G worldwide. As early as 2018, OPPO successfully demoed the world's first 5G video call using 3D structured light technology; in 2019, the Oppo Reno 5G edition became the first commercially available 5G compatible smartphone in Europe; and in 2021, OPPO, Vodafone, Qualcomm and Ericsson achieved the commercialization of Europe’s first 5G standalone (SA) network, accelerating the further improvement of 5G.

Going forward, OPPO will continue to increase its R&D in areas of cutting-edge technology, partner with other industry leaders such as Ericsson, facilitate 5G development, and continue to unlock the possibilities of 5G as it leads the industry towards the era of Internet of Experience.