OPEN TO LTE / 5G NR · RAN VALIDATION · RF / RCT · O-RAN · WIRELESS SYSTEMS

Pardha Saradhi
Chandana.

RAN System Validation · O-RAN · RF / RCT · Performance · Automation

Senior LTE / 5G NR Test Engineer. 4+ years of hands-on experience across LTE, LTE-Advanced and 5G NR (SA/NSA), with a focus on RAN system validation, O-RAN RU validation, RF Conformance (RCT), protocol troubleshooting, performance and stability testing, and automation.

01 · Hyderabad / Bangalore, IN 02 · Open to relocation 03 · 4+ Years · LTE / 5G NR
Explore my journey ↗ Get in touch
- About

Engineering the invisible infrastructure.

Four-plus years validating the radio access networks that carry billions of conversations and connections - every day, in every weather, across every band.

I'm a Senior LTE / 5G NR Test Engineer with 4+ years of hands-on experience in RAN system validation, RF validation, O-RAN integration, protocol troubleshooting, performance testing and test automation. RAN testing isn't about pass/fail - it's about understanding why a UE re-attaches at the cell edge at 3am, or why throughput dips during a specific handover sequence.

My experience spans LTE, LTE-Advanced and 5G NR (SA / NSA) across feature validation, mobility, Carrier Aggregation, VoLTE, throughput, stability, endurance and customer issue reproduction. I've worked across the RAN stack — from commercial UEs and the RF interface, through O-RAN RU / DU / CU, out to adjacent core-network interfaces — with deep, trace-level debugging across PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP and RRC.

My current work focuses heavily on O-RAN Radio Unit validation and RF Conformance (RCT): M/C/U/S-plane workflows, RF configuration, alarms and recovery, IQ playback, ACLR, EVM, SEM, TX/RX power, receiver sensitivity and S-parameter RF-path measurement. Alongside that I build and maintain Python / Robot Framework / PyTest automation for multi-UE, throughput, endurance and RSRP-controlled validation.

- Stable. Scalable. Signal-true.
0+ years
RAN testing & automation
0
Operator & customer programs
1.4Gbps
Peak DL · 4CA validated
0+ RU
RU reboot & recovery runs
- Journey

My engineering journey.

A chronological view of the career so far — from graduate engineer on 5G SA / O-RAN validation, through LTE feature commercialization, to O-RAN Radio Unit and RF conformance work in radio R&D.

01 / 04

Parallel Wireless - Senior Engineer, QA — Radio R&D

Bangalore, India O-RAN RU Validation · RF Conformance (RCT) · System Integration · Automation
  • Debugged cross-domain system failures across O-RAN Radio Unit (O-RU), Baseband Unit (BBU), LTE protocol stack (RRC/PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY), RF subsystems, NETCONF management, and PTP synchronization — correlating radio, baseband, management, and automation logs across 100+ RU reboot stability runs to isolate root causes.
  • Executed RF Conformance (RCT) validation of O-RAN Radio Units on Keysight EXM, EXA and E5071C VNA: ACLR, EVM, SEM, TX/RX Power, Receiver Sensitivity, RSSI accuracy, IQ playback, PA protection and S21 / S34 RF-path measurements, per 3GPP specifications.
  • Investigated and reported critical defects: RU reboot failures, carrier activation, RF configuration, bandwidth reconfiguration, NETCONF supervision, synchronization recovery, and RF hardware faults — collaborated with dev teams to validate fixes.
  • Automated dual-band LTE B4/B7 bring-up, multi-UE TCP/UDP throughput, attach/detach endurance, and RSRP-controlled RF baseline with Robot Framework and Python — reduced manual effort and improved regression efficiency across 4 & 5-Band AAU.
  • Resolved two high-impact O-RAN software defects involving bandwidth reconfiguration and post-reboot carrier initialization — significantly improved RU recovery reliability and CI validation efficiency.
  • Supporting operator-facing integration and deployment readiness across Metro and Mini Metro radio programs — Ooredoo, PNG Mobile, V Mobile, BSNL, Tim Brazil, AT&T Mexico, WOM Colombia, CPQD Brazil, Cellcom, BT, BMobile and Telecall Colombia.
Nov 2025
- Present
02 / 04

Mavenir Systems - Member of Technical Staff I

Bangalore, India LTE / 5G NR Feature Validation · Performance · DTAG · VMO2
  • Validated LTE and 5G RAN features across operator deployments including DTAG and VMO2 programs.
  • Specialised in end-to-end feature validation — VoLTE, Carrier Aggregation (4DL/2UL), X2/S1 mobility, and NSA/SA coexistence scenarios.
  • Executed large-scale mobility, throughput, and mixed-traffic stability testing across real UE environments.
  • Achieved sustained throughput validation up to 1.4 Gbps DL / 250 Mbps UL under carrier aggregation.
  • Performed deep protocol and system-level debugging using QXDM, Wireshark, XCAL, and PCAT for attach, mobility, and throughput regressions.
  • Recreated customer-reported field issues and validated fixes under real-world traffic and mobility conditions.
  • Contributed to automation-driven regression frameworks and long-duration endurance validation workflows.
Feb 2023
- Oct 2025
03 / 04

Mavenir Systems - Graduate Engineer

Bangalore, India 5G NR SA · O-RAN CU / DU / RU · Protocol Validation · NEC · DTAG
  • Performed end-to-end 5G SA validation across O-RAN architecture components — CU / DU / RU with CP/UP separation.
  • Validated Inter/Intra-DU mobility, attach procedures, throughput, and stability across real UE-based environments.
  • Deep protocol stack analysis across RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers — debugged L1/L2 mobility and attach anomalies.
  • Improved overall system stability through long-duration stress, endurance, and mixed-traffic validation campaigns.
  • Investigated field-reported interoperability and mobility issues; delivered detailed 3GPP-aligned root-cause reports.
  • Supported feature commercialization and release readiness across customer-facing deployments.
Feb 2022
- Jan 2023
04 / 04

CMR Institute of Technology - Education

Hyderabad, India B.Tech · Electronics & Communication · GPA 3.55 / 4.0
  • Bachelor of Technology in Electronics & Communication Engineering with focus on signal processing, communications, and embedded systems.
  • Foundation in antenna theory, digital communications, microprocessor design, and DSP - the substrate for everything that came after.
Aug 2017
- May 2021
- The RAN stack

Where I've worked across the RAN.

My hands-on experience spans the RAN architecture from commercial UEs and air-interface validation, through O-RAN RU / DU / CU integration, out to adjacent core-network validation. Depth is honest here — primary focus is the Radio Unit; the core is awareness, not expertise.

UE
User Equipment
Commercial UEsTM500AmarisoftTelit / COMPAL
Air
Interface
→
LTE · 5G NR
RU PRIMARY
Radio Unit · O-RAN
RF Conformance (RCT)ACLR · EVM · SEMM/C/U/S-plane 4 & 5-Band AAUIQ PlaybackeTilt · Alarms PA ProtectionTX / RX PowerRx Sensitivity S-Parameter (S21 / S34)RU Recovery · RebootRF Config & Bring-up
Fronthaul
→
eCPRI · NETCONF · PTP
DU
Distributed Unit · L1/L2
PHY (L1)MAC · RLCScheduler Intra/Inter-DU HOBBU debug
Midhaul
→
F1 · F1AP
CU
Central Unit · L3
RRC · PDCPCP / UP split Handover ControlF1 / F1AP integrationNAS awareness
Backhaul
→
S1 · X2 · NG
EPC / 5GC
Core · Adjacent
Attach / Session flowsAdjacent exposure only
Primary focus — day-to-day ownership Hands-on — validated & debugged directly Adjacent — integration / awareness
Test coverage across the stack
01
Feature Validation
Attach · VoLTE · Carrier Aggregation · X2/S1 · Intra/Inter-DU HO · CMAS / ETWS
02
RF Conformance (RCT)
ACLR · EVM · SEM · TX/RX Power · Rx Sensitivity · PA Protection · IQ Playback
03
Performance & KPI
Throughput · Latency · BLER · RSRP/SINR · Mobility · 1.4 Gbps DL / 250 Mbps UL peak
04
System Integration
Cross-domain debug · O-RU · BBU · NETCONF · PTP synchronization
05
Stability & Endurance
8-72h long runs · 100+ RU reboot cycles · Mixed traffic loads
06
Automation
Robot Framework · Python · PyTest · Appium/ADB · CI / Nightly
- What I've validated

Features I've put through it.

The actual feature surface I've validated end to end across LTE, LTE-Advanced and 5G NR — attach and mobility, voice, aggregation, broadcast warning systems, and the long unglamorous tail of regression, endurance and field-issue reproduction.

01

LTE & LTE-Advanced

Initial Attach / Detach VoLTE Carrier Aggregation 4CA DL / 2CA UL X2 / S1 Handover Cell Selection & Reselection CMAS ETWS LTE TDD / FDD Dual-band B4 / B7 bring-up
02

5G NR — SA & NSA

5G SA 5G NSA SA / NSA Coexistence SCG / MCG Mobility Inter / Intra-DU Handover gNB Protocol Validation Attach & Registration Cell Reselection Throughput & KPI O-RAN CU / DU / RU 5G TDD / FDD
03

Test types I run

Feature Validation System Integration Interoperability Sanity / Regression Patch & Build Verification Performance & KPI Endurance 8–72h Stress & Mixed Traffic Multi-UE Negative Testing Customer Issue Reproduction
- RF & conformance

RF conformance, measured.

RF Conformance Testing (RCT) on O-RAN Radio Units — transmitter and receiver characteristics measured against 3GPP limits (TS 36.141) on Keysight instrumentation. Executed across default and customer radio configurations, at low, mid and high channel frequencies (Flow / Fmid / Fhigh) and across multiple channel bandwidths — plus the calibration, RF configuration, bring-up and recovery work that makes those measurements trustworthy.

01

Transmitter

Output Power (TX Power) ACLR EVM SEM Reduced Carrier Output Power PA Protection PA Shutdown Spurious Emissions Variable Load (DPD)
02

Receiver

Receiver Sensitivity RX Power RSSI Accuracy BLER Dynamic Range PRACH Detection Per-Band DSA Attenuation
03

RF path & configuration

S-Parameter (S21 / S34) IQ Playback & Recording Cable-Loss Calibration Flow / Fmid / Fhigh sweeps Multiple Channel Bandwidths RF Configuration & Bring-up Carrier Activation Bandwidth Reconfiguration RF Recovery eTilt 4-Band & 5-Band AAU
Keysight EXM
Wireless test set — RF conformance execution, TX/RX power, ACLR / EVM / SEM measurement and IQ playback against the O-RU.
Keysight EXA
Signal analyser — spectrum inspection, emission mask and carrier-level RF signal analysis during bring-up and defect investigation.
Keysight E5071C VNA
Vector network analyser — S-parameter (S21 / S34) measurement to characterise and qualify the RF path and cabling.
Amarisoft
LTE / NR call box — RF baseline, carrier bring-up, attach and traffic generation for RU-side validation.
TM500
UE emulator — multi-UE load, throughput and capacity scenarios beyond what a commercial UE bench can produce.
Calibrated RF bench
Cable loss characterised end to end, antenna port to instrument connector, per band and per frequency — every power and sensitivity figure referred to that reference plane, held in version-controlled configuration so a re-run reproduces it.
Programmable attenuators
RSRP-controlled RF baselines and auto-attenuation sweeps for sensitivity, mobility and cell-edge behaviour.
- Protocol experience

The stack, layer by layer.

Where the debugging actually happens. I've split this honestly — layers and interfaces I trace and root-cause myself, versus those I've worked with at an integration and validation level.

Hands-on debugging
RRC
Connection setup / release, reconfiguration, measurement reports, handover signalling, reselection.
PDCP
Sequence numbering, reordering, split-bearer behaviour in NSA and CA scenarios.
RLC
AM / UM behaviour, retransmissions, segmentation and throughput-degradation analysis.
MAC
Scheduling, HARQ, grants, BSR / SR flows and multi-UE contention behaviour.
PHY
L1 measurements, BLER, RSRP / SINR correlation, cell bring-up and RF-side symptom isolation.
S1AP
X2AP
Attach, bearer setup, X2/S1 handover procedures and failure-cause analysis on the trace.
NETCONF
PTP
O-RU M-plane supervision and configuration, synchronization state and recovery on the fronthaul.
Integration / validation exposure
NAS
Registration and session-level messaging observed while validating attach and mobility end to end.
F1 / F1AP
CU–DU split validation during 5G SA O-RAN integration and inter/intra-DU handover testing.
E1 / NG
CP/UP separation and gNB–core interface behaviour at a system-validation level.
eCPRI
Open fronthaul C/U-plane transport between O-DU and O-RU during RU bring-up and integration.
GTP-U
User-plane tunnelling observed while chasing throughput and session-continuity issues.
EPC
5GC
Attach and session awareness only — adjacent to my work, not a domain I claim depth in.
- Automation

Automation & test infrastructure.

Not "I know Python" — the frameworks and harnesses I've actually built and maintained so that validation keeps running while the lab sleeps.

Automation stack
Python Robot Framework PyTest Appium / ADB Shell Scripting Linux Jenkins CI / CD Nightly Execution Docker Multi-UE Orchestration Instrument Control (SCPI)
- Toolkit

Tools I've actually used.

A living inventory of the engineering toolbox — log and trace analysis, automation, RAN emulation, RF instrumentation, and the UEs and modules I run tests against.

01

Log & Trace Analysis

QXDMQCATPCATXCAL WiresharkTCPDump L1 / L2 Root CauseCross-domain log correlation
02

Automation & Scripting

PythonRobot FrameworkPyTest Appium / ADBShell Scripting Jenkins CI / CDDocker Nightly ValidationMulti-UE Orchestration
03

RAN & Network

AmarisoftTM500Dingli NETCONFPTP SynceCPRI iPerf · TCP / UDP traffic
04

RF & Test Equipment

Keysight EXMKeysight EXA Keysight E5071C VNA Programmable AttenuatorsRF Chain / Cabling Cable-Loss CalibrationSCPI Instrument Control Spectrum & Signal Analysis
05

UEs & Modules

Commercial UEsOnePlusSamsung TelitCOMPAL Qualcomm chipset UEsMulti-UE racks
06

Platforms & Process

LinuxWindows Jira · Defect workflowTest plan authoring RCA reportingRelease readiness
- Performance & stability

Numbers I've stood behind.

Performance and robustness are where validation stops being a checklist. These are the figures and conditions my testing has actually produced and sustained.

1.4Gbps
Peak DL · 4CA validated
250Mbps
Peak UL · 2CA validated
8–72hrs
Endurance & stability runs
100+
RU reboot & recovery cycles
01

Traffic profiles

TCPUDP Mixed trafficMulti-UE Sustained loadBurst / idle cycling
02

KPIs tracked

Throughput UL / DLLatency BLERRSRPSINR PRB UtilisationHandover success rate Attach success rate
03

Robustness

Long-run stabilityReboot recovery Sync recoveryAlarm handling Negative / fault injectionRelease readiness
- Customers & deployments

Programs I've worked on.

Customer-facing RAN programs I've worked on, listed by the radio configuration each one runs — across European, Asian, Middle-Eastern and Latin American operators. Feature validation, integration, troubleshooting and deployment readiness.

Radio configurations are given as carrier counts by band class — L (low‑band), M (mid‑band), H (high‑band). So Metro 1L3M is one low-band plus three mid-band carriers, and Mini Metro 0L2M1H is two mid-band plus one high-band carrier.
Deutsche Telekom (DTAG)
LTE / 5G NR feature validation program.
Mavenir · 2022–2025
Virgin Media O2 (VMO2)
LTE feature validation program.
Mavenir · 2023–2025
NEC
5G NR SA / O-RAN CU-DU-RU validation program.
Mavenir · 2022–2023
Ooredoo
Metro 1L3M — B8 · B1 · B3 · B41. Customer validation.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
PNG Mobile
B3 + B28. Customer validation.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
Tim Brazil
Mini Metro 0L2M1H — B4 · B7 · n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
AT&T Mexico
Mini Metro 0L2M1H — B4 · B7 · n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
WOM Colombia
Mini Metro 0L2M1H — B4 · B7 · n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
CPQD Brazil
Mini Metro 0L2M1H — B4 · B7 · n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
Cellcom
Mini Metro 0L2M1H — B3 · B7 · n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
BT
Mini Metro 0L2M1H — B3 · B7 · n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
BMobile
Mini Metro 0L2M1H — B3 · B7 · n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
Telecall Colombia
Mini Metro 0L0M1H — n78.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
V Mobile
O-RAN Radio Unit validation program.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
BSNL
O-RAN Radio Unit validation program.
Parallel Wireless · 2025–
- Core expertise

Where I add leverage.

A few specific places I tend to move the needle - from automation that runs while the lab sleeps, to debug that catches the issue customers haven't reported yet.

01.
Current focus · O-RAN RU

Automation & O-RAN RU validation

Carrier-grade RU feature validation: M/C/U/S-plane, alarms, RU recovery flows, and eTilt operations across LTE and 5G deployments. Backed by scalable Robot Framework + Python automation for multi-UE throughput, KPI validation, and RSRP-controlled endurance testing.

O-RANRUM/C/U/SPythonRobot
02.
RF Validation · RCT

Carrier-grade RF Conformance

Full Tx/Rx RF conformance validation for O-RAN Radio Units — ACLR, EVM, SEM, TX/RX power, receiver sensitivity, RSSI accuracy, PA Protection, IQ Playback and S21 / S34 RF-path measurement per 3GPP specifications. Executed across 4 & 5-Band AAU configurations on Keysight EXM, EXA, E5071C VNA and Amarisoft.

RCTACLREVMSEMS-Parameter3GPP
03.
5G NR Validation

5G SA / O-RAN end-to-end

End-to-end 5G SA across O-RAN architecture (CP/UP/DU/RU): Inter/Intra DU HO, attach, throughput, mobility, cell reselection — 3GPP compliant.

5G SA5G NSAO-RANCU / DU / RU
04.
LTE Feature

Feature testing & coexistence

Validated Attach, VoLTE, Carrier Aggregation (4DL/2UL → 1.4 Gbps DL), X2/S1 + Intra/Inter DU mobility across mixed traffic and SA-NSA coexistence.

LTEVoLTECAMobility
05.
Protocol Debug

L1/L2 root-cause analysis

Deep-dive debug with QXDM, Wireshark, XCAL, PCAT — handover failures, attach anomalies, and throughput degradations resolved across the protocol stack.

RRCPDCPRLCMACPHY
- Recognition & education

Recognition & education.

Recognition from peers and operators, alongside the formal education and standards grounding that supports the work.

Spotlight Award

Customer Focus

Mavenir Systems · 2024

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Award · 2024

Customer Focus - Spotlight

Recognised at Mavenir Systems for exceptional commitment during LTE feature commercialization for DTAG and VMO2. Awarded for on-time delivery of Attach, VoLTE, and Carrier Aggregation validation across mixed-traffic and SA-NSA coexistence scenarios.

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Certificate

Python for Everybody

Udemy · 2021

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Course · 2021

Python for Everybody

Foundation in Python - data structures, file I/O, network APIs, database integration. The substrate for the automation work that followed at Mavenir and Parallel Wireless: Robot Framework keywords, multi-UE orchestration, RSRP monitoring scripts.

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Degree

B.Tech, Electronics & Communication

CMR Institute of Technology · 2021

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Education · 2017-2021

B.Tech ECE · GPA 3.55 / 4.0

Bachelor of Technology in Electronics & Communication Engineering at CMR Institute of Technology, Hyderabad. Focus on signal processing, digital communications, antenna theory, microprocessors, and DSP - the substrate for everything that came after in RAN.

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3GPP

3GPP standards experience

LTE TS 36.xxx · 5G NR TS 38.xxx

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Standards · ongoing

3GPP standards experience

Applied working knowledge of LTE (TS 36.xxx) and 5G NR (TS 38.xxx) series during feature validation, O-RAN CU/DU/RU integration, RF conformance measurement and stack-level debug — with exposure across Releases 15 and 16. Not a formal certification: this is spec-referenced day-to-day engineering.

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- Get in touch

Let's build something signal-true.

Open to LTE / 5G NR, RAN system validation, RF & conformance (RCT), O-RAN and wireless systems roles · contract validation work · consulting. Reach out — I read every message.

Send a message

pardhasaradhi7477@gmail.com ↗
Hyderabad / Bangalore, India +91 82470 87692