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

Key Terms

global navigation satellite system technical

A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is a network of orbiting satellites plus ground equipment that provides location, timing and velocity information anywhere on Earth, like a constantly available electronic map and clock in the sky. Investors care because GNSS underpins many industries — from shipping and agriculture to telecoms and autonomous vehicles — so changes in its performance, regulation, or cybersecurity can affect revenue, costs and risk across companies that rely on precise positioning and timing.

gnss technical

GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, a network of satellites that provide precise location and timing information anywhere on Earth, like a constantly available digital map and clock. It matters to investors because many industries—transportation, agriculture, telecom, finance and defense—rely on this positioning and timing for products, services and critical infrastructure; improvements or disruptions in GNSS can change costs, create new revenue streams, or introduce operational risk.

angle of arrival (aoa) technical

The angle of arrival (AOA) is the direction from which a signal, such as a radio wave or communication transmission, is received. It helps determine the location or source of the signal by measuring its direction, similar to how you might identify where a sound is coming from by listening. For investors, understanding AOAs can be important in fields like telecommunications or navigation, where accurate positioning and source identification influence decision-making.

Groundbreaking SimXTRACT redefines GNSS testing with real-world insight to transform and accelerate development workflows

PAIGNTON, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spirent Communications, now part of Keysight Technologies, a leading provider of test and assurance solutions for next-generation devices and networks, today 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.

Using signals and scenarios captured in the field by Spirent record and playback devices, SimXTRACT performs complex signal decomposition, breaking down each received signal into discrete line-of-sight and multipath ray paths, along with metadata such as Doppler offset, code error, power level, and angle of arrival (AoA). This decomposed environment is then automatically converted into fully controllable simulation scenarios for Spirent GNSS simulators, reducing time spent in the field, cutting the cost and complexity of scenario capture and generation, and enabling repeatable, high-fidelity testing.

Combined with the option for developers to analyze and understand signal recordings, as well as search for and recreate specific conditions in order to focus testing, SimXTRACT will help accelerate development workflows for sectors that include automotive, chipset, consumer devices, defense, critical infrastructure, and more.

“In today’s high-precision PNT ecosystem, SimXTRACT redefines how you can develop, test, and debug PNT-enabled systems,” says Terry-Brown. “You can now bring the real-world environment into every stage of your product realization process, saving you time and money, while also improving product quality.”

For more information about SimXTRACT, visit www.spirent.com/products/simxtract.

About Spirent

Spirent Communications, now part of Keysight (NYSE: KEYS), is a leading global provider of automated test and assurance solutions for networks and positioning. The company provides innovative products, services and managed solutions that address the test, assurance and automation challenges of a new generation of technologies, including 5G, AI, cloud, autonomous vehicles and beyond. From the lab to the real world, Spirent helps companies deliver on their promise to their customers of a new generation of connected devices and technologies. For more information, please visit www.spirent.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260305872074/en/

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Source: Spirent Communications