VIAVI adds colocation capability to VALOR Open RAN Testing Facility

VIAVI Solutions has announced the addition of colocation capability to its VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) facility, in response to growing demand from Open RAN customers for more extensive and flexible testing solutions. Located in Chandler, Arizona, the VALOR facility is funded by the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF).

The new colocation model complements VALOR’s existing on-demand lab services by offering customers extended access to the facility. This enables continuous testing throughout the product development lifecycle using a semi-permanent setup. Customer environments within the lab are logically separated via VLANs, ensuring secure, isolated testing conditions and maintaining data integrity and performance across multiple test scenarios.

“With the addition of the colocation offering, VALOR now supports two modes of engagement. This allows us to accommodate both vendors seeking specific tests during development and pre-certification, and those requiring broader, longer-term testing frameworks,” said Erik Probstfield, Senior Director, VALOR, VIAVI.

Probstfield added, “The colocation model builds on the PWSCIF framework, which is designed to stimulate private investment in wireless infrastructure through federal funding. This collaborative approach is intended to accelerate the development of secure, open wireless ecosystems, yielding benefits that extend beyond the initial government investment.”

The VALOR lab provides an automated, neutral Lab-as-a-Service and Test-as-a-Service environment for assessing Open RAN interoperability, performance, and security. In addition to colocation and two on-demand testing labs, the facility includes a high-specification RF chamber for Massive MIMO and beamforming over-the-air (OTA) validation. This supports system-level performance testing for up to 16 parallel spatial layers.

The lab is built on VIAVI’s NITRO Wireless Open RAN Test Suite, with the VAMOS unified framework enabling hybrid physical and cloud-based testing. It also includes reference O-RUs, O-DUs, and O-CUs, and is supported by an experienced technical team. The facility allows Open RAN vendors to test their products without the need for substantial internal infrastructure, helping to reduce time to market while providing flexible, scalable deployment options.