Each new communications protocol adds to the complexity of its predecessor, and the 3GPP-LTE cellular standard is no exception. According to Synopsys, there are more than a thousand tests specified in the standard to ensure compliance.

And it’s actually twice that bad: before you cut a chip, you need to verify the design against those tests. Then, when the chip comes out, you need to verify the actual silicon against the same tests.

For this reason, Synopsys – maker of pre-silicon design tools – and Rhode & Schwarz – maker of post-silicon, real, you-can-put-your-hands-on-it lab equipment – have paired up to make the whole process more efficient.

Both Synopsys and Rhode & Schwarz have LTE IP: the former in the form of simulation models in their SPW/System Studio tool; the latter in the form of pre-configured IP for their signal generators. Well, almost pre-configured: there are in the range of 60 to 100 parameters that need to be set for any given test.

So now you can import those parameters from the Synopsys tools both to speed things up and to ensure that the settings are consistent between simulation and test. That means less time debugging the test setup.

In addition, users can now take simulation results and compare them against the actual silicon measurements, giving easier access to any discrepancies and shortening silicon validation. This feature also allowed Synopsys to validate its own LTE simulation libraries against real silicon.

More details in their release…