Vertex Channel Emulator

The industry's most modular and scalable channel emulation platform

Vertex 6.0 is the industry’s first channel emulator designed for next-generation 6G and Wi‑Fi 7/8 testing, natively supporting newly defined 6G waveform requirements and surpassing Wi‑Fi 7/8 bandwidth requirements.
VERTEX

The VIAVI Vertex Channel Emulator is the industry's most flexible RF channel emulation platform for cellular, WiFi, satellite, and defense wireless test. 5G-Advanced/6G, WiFi 7/8, ISAC, and defense programs can't afford failure and demand lab conditions that replicate the real world with precision and repeatability. Vertex 6.0 delivers that: full FR1 coverage up to 7.125 GHz, WiFi 7/8 support at 4096QAM, and cmWave testing through the new FR3 Frequency Converter. Every upgrade installs into your existing Vertex chassis, right in the field. No swap. No rebuild.
 

What's New in Vertex 6.0

Four headline upgrades, all field-installable into an existing Vertex chassis. No rip and replace. No lab downtime beyond the install.

New RF Module

8 ports, 400 MHz BW

4 RF chains, 4 input/output ports and 4 output ports. Frequencies from 100 MHz to 7.125 GHz with native phase coherence for MU Massive MIMO. 4096 QAM support for WiFi 7.

FR3 Converter

5 to 23.6 GHz

2U rack-mounted converter with 1 GHz instantaneous bandwidth, –47 dBc residual EVM, 4×4 channels per module, up to four modules per chassis.

Full FR1

Now to 7.125 GHz

Full 5G NR FR1 conformance on a single instrument. Previous module stopped at 5.925 GHz. No second box needed for the upper-mid band.

WiFi 7

4096 QAM, 320 MHz

The first conductive fader engineered for WiFi 7/8. Modular configurations from 2×2 up to 8×8.


 

  • Vertex 6.0 is Here.

    The upgrade that doesn't replace your lab. You can now request an upgrade briefing. 

    Vertex

What to Test with Vertex

Concrete test scenarios across 5G/6G cellular, WiFi 7/8, Aerospace and Defense, and other wireless applications like Bluetooth and Ultrawide Band. All shipping with Vertex 6.0.

MU Massive MIMO at 64×8

Network Equipment Manufacturers · 64 TRX, 8 layers

Testing a 64-antenna O-RU with eight simultaneous user layers used to mean days of external calibration between runs.

Native phase coherence eliminates that step entirely — and you reconfigure the spatial topology in software, not by rewiring the bench.

100 MHz BW · 64 TRX · native phase coherence

5G NR FR1 Conformance to 7.125 GHz

Chipset & Device Vendors · 4×4 Bi, 400 MHz

3GPP Release 18 adds bands up to 7.125 GHz, and your conformance test plan has to cover them. A system that stops at 5.9 GHz leaves a gap — forcing a second instrument, a separate calibration, and an incomplete test report. One chassis covers the full FR1 range.

100 MHz · 4×4 Bi · full FR1 single instrument

Carrier Aggregation & Advanced MIMO

NEMs & Chipset Vendors · up to 8×8 with CA

Certifying Carrier Aggregation in upper FR1 demands clean, wide bandwidth. Workarounds that split the signal chain introduce EVM penalties that can fail your device. 400 MHz native bandwidth handles the full CA scenario cleanly — results that reflect the device, not the test setup.

400 MHz BW · 8×8 MIMO · native phase coherence

WiFi 7/8 Chipset, Access Point, and Device Test

WiFi Chipset & Device Vendors · 2×2 to 8×8

Wi-Fi 7/8 testing requires 4096-QAM at 320 MHz — both simultaneously, in one test setup. No de-rated bandwidth, no split runs. One fader that handles both natively, so your certification plan isn't constrained by your test gear.

400 MHz BW · 4096QAM EVM · modular 2×2 to 8×8

6G FR3 Cellular Validation

Chipset & Equipment Vendors · 4×4 per module

As your roadmap moves into FR3 — from 7.125 GHz toward 23.6 GHz — you need a test platform that follows. The FR3 Frequency Converter extends Vertex into the full FR3 range without changing your workflow. 1 GHz instantaneous bandwidth per module: one environment from FR1 to FR3.

5–23.6 GHz · 1 GHz BW · -47 dBc EVM typical

Combined Sub-7 GHz + cmWave

Chipset Vendors & Research Labs · RF module + FR3 paired

Validating a WiFi 7/8 chip that spans 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and 6G cmWave bands shouldn't mean switching platforms mid-test. Vertex RF module and FR3 Converter cover all bands in one unified workflow — reconfigure in software, iterate fast, consistent results across the full operating range.

Dual-band · one workflow · shared calibration ref.

MIMO OTA Chamber Emulation

Device & Chipset Vendors · anechoic or reverb chamber

MIMO OTA testing depends on precise phase relationships between antennas. A fader that drifts between channels turns a certification run into a calibration exercise. Native phase coherence holds those relationships without external calibration — clean results every run, regardless of antenna count.

FR1 + FR2 (via converters) · chamber-vendor agnostic

Live-to-Lab Virtual Drive Test

Service providers, NEMs · file-driven playback

When an issue appears in the field, reproducing it reliably is what gets it resolved. Capture the RF conditions with any drive test tool — including OneAdvisor 800 — and replay them in the lab. Your engineers debug the exact same conditions on demand, without another field deployment.

L2L-VDT-CT · CSV ingest · field-to-lab workflow

Military Mesh & Drone Comms

Defense primes, drone programs · multi-node

Testing drone comms at operational speed means high-Doppler air-to-air propagation — not static desktop assumptions. Multiple synchronised channels recreate a real mesh topology. When the mission requires EW resilience, record and replay jamming scenarios in the lab before deployment.

Mesh · air-to-air models · jam/spoof R&P

Defense primes, drone programs · Sensing

Defense primes, drone programs · multi-node

5G/6G Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) base stations sense AND communicate using the same spectrum, antenna and waveform — no separate radar required. Test needs: Signal integrity — TX leaks into RX path; clutter from terrain; high PAPR distorts range-Doppler Hardware & sync — bistatic nodes need precise clock sync; IQ data rates exceed edge capacity Coverage gap — 6 sensing modes × use cases; no standardised test protocols; sensing + comms KPIs must be co-validated

Counter UAV · Ground and Automotive·Defense and Perimeter

RAN Vendor Acceptance Benchmarking

Tier-1 Operators · NEM agnostic 

MNOs evaluating new RAN equipment test each NEM under identical 3GPP CDL channel conditions. Vertex delivers repeatable, vendor-neutral fading that neutralises supplier claims and gives operators an independent baseline for throughput, latency, and packet-loss before network acceptance.

3GPP CDL-A/B/C · FR1 · vendor-neutral · NEM agnostic

Indoor & Dense-Urban Coverage Validation

Global Operators · CDL-B/C 

Indoor and dense-urban environments generate the majority of 5G service complaints. Vertex emulates CDL-B (indoor hotspot) and CDL-C (urban macro) models in the lab, letting operators predict real-world coverage shortfalls and validate equipment performance before building or transit-hub deployment.

CDL-B indoor · CDL-C urban macro · FR1 100 MHz

Multi-vendor RAN Integration Lab

Tier-1 Operators · multi-NEM environments 

MNOs deploying multi-vendor RAN need a NEM-independent test environment to validate interoperability and compare vendor performance under identical conditions. Vertex provides the shared, neutral reference: same channel models, same measurement criteria, no supplier influence.

Multi-vendor · FR1 · NEM agnostic · 3GPP TR 38.901

One Platform, Every Wireless Test Environment

Vertex replicates the wireless conditions your designs will face in the real world, across cellular, WiFi 7, satellite, OTA chambers, and mission-critical communications. One instrument. Every test scenario your team needs.

Vertex Channel Emulator



 

  • Ready to bring the real world into your lab?

    Talk to a Vertex specialist about your test requirements, upgrade or request a demo.

    Vertex Channel Emulator

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  • Repair and Calibration

    Our products live in rugged environments for more than 10 years with 1000s of test connect/disconnect cycles.  We will be there to support you to ensure components that require maintenance like connectors, batteries, and software updates are ready to test accurately for years to come. We apply factory procedures fast, automated calibration and functional verification, maintenance using OEM parts, and the application of all engineering change orders and software updates. Services are available through contract Care plans, FleetCare or per incident as requested. 

    Top 4 Reasons to Choose VIAVI for Your Repair and Calibration Needs:

    • Minimize business disruption
    • Budget
    • Measurement Accuracy and Product Reliability
    • Measurement Compliance, TL9000 certification and OEM Standards

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Support at Every Step

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