Spirent Bridges the Gap Between Field and Lab PNT Testing with Industry-First Solution

Spirent Communications, now part of Keysight Technologies, a leading provider of test and assurance solutions for next-generation devices and networks, announced the launch of SimXTRACT, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) test tool that breaks new ground in the development and testing of GNSS-enabled devices and systems. Bridging the gap between field and laboratory, SimXTRACT is the first test tool that enables real signals captured in field environments to be comprehensively decomposed into individual, discrete signals and applied to lab simulation for unparalleled realism at every stage of the development test cycle.

“SimXTRACT revolutionizes how you can test positioning solutions. By combining real-world insights with lab-based control and repeatability, our customers will no longer have to compromise on how they test in this fast-moving technology area,” says Peter Terry-Brown, Divisional CEO of Spirent’s Positioning business. “SimXTRACT ensures customers get the best of both worlds, with enhanced realism delivering more accurate results, quicker issue resolution, and faster time to market.”

Developers currently rely on either RF record and playback or lab simulation for the testing and validation of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems and devices. While both methods play important roles in product development, neither is able to combine the richness of the real world with the control needed for tasks such as research and development, receiver integration, or regression testing. The introduction of SimXTRACT brings the advantages of both field and lab test methods together for the first time by taking real signals captured in field environments and accurately breaking them apart to create realistic simulator drive data for use in Spirent simulators.