Keysight Technologies, Inc. has introduced the Functional Interconnect Test Solutions (FITS) portfolio and FITS-8CH, the suite’s first product. FITS-8CH delivers digital-layer bit error ratio (BER) and forward error correction (FEC) performance validation for high-speed optical and copper interconnects used in network equipment and production network infrastructures.
As interconnect speeds increase and designs grow more complex, manufacturers of chips, optical and copper interconnects, and network equipment face mounting pressure to ensure reliability before products reach mass production and throughout the manufacturing process. Traditional physical-layer test tools play a vital role in validating electrical lanes against industry specifications, establishing a strong compliance baseline. Building on this foundation, system-level validation helps extend insight into the performance of fully integrated interconnects and operational sub-assemblies, including error behavior in realistic environments.
Accurate assessment of real‑world system conditions is only possible when all interconnect electrical or 
Source: Keysight Technologies, Inc. optical lanes undergo high-speed error-performance validation. Without this testing, the risk of production delays or costly failures in the field increases. This includes validating error performance for high‑speed PAM4 electrical lanes operating at 53 Gb/s, 106 Gb/s and 212 Gb/s, which underpin today’s 400GE, 800GE and 1.6T Ethernet network architectures.
FITS-8CH addresses this system-level error performance gap by providing multiple-lane error performance validation at the digital layer, supporting PAM4 error performance assessment across all relevant electrical lane speeds and extending beyond physical-layer measurements. This enables reliable validation throughout the design, development, and manufacturing of high-speed interconnects for high-volume deployment in large-scale networks. The chassis also integrates with Keysight’s physical layer test solutions, expanding the number of applications and topologies it supports.
Built for reliability, scale and manufacturing readiness, FITS‑8CH supports today’s network-testing demands, where even marginal error performance can impact large-scale deployments. Key benefits include:
- Multiple-lane BER and FEC validation: Enables simultaneous, bi‑directional real-time testing on all eight transmit and eight receive channels, supporting PAM4 signaling speeds from 53 Gb/s to 212.5 Gb/s. Validating system‑level error performance using BER and FEC enables testing of complete optical and copper interconnect assemblies rather than isolated measurements at critical stages, including R&D, product development, in‑process manufacturing, end‑of‑line testing and system‑level qualification. Using this approach, manufacturers can confidently release verified pre‑production designs to mass production and benchmark reliability under real‑world operating conditions.
- Flexible channel architecture: Two complementary channel groups — high‑drive outputs and chip‑to‑module (C2M) interfaces — support a broader range of electrical fixtures and interconnect topologies. This architecture gives teams greater flexibility to support more configurations of electrical fixtures, Ethernet interconnects, active cables and silicon topologies without redesigning test setups or compromising signal fidelity.
- High‑quality signal generation: IEEE P802.3dj‑compliant signal generation and excellent signal integrity performance even under difficult conditions provide clean, well‑controlled transmit signals required for accurate BER and FEC measurements at all supported channel speeds. By delivering signals that meet defined requirements, teams can evaluate error performance based on the true behavior of the device or interconnect under test, rather than limitations introduced by the test environment. This is especially important in high‑speed, multiple-lane designs, where small signal variations can lead to borderline or misleading results.
- Automated lane tuning: Optimizes PAM4 signal output performance with lane‑by‑lane tuning that automatically adjusts transmit tap settings and opens the electrical eye of the PAM4 signal for each lane. This improves measurement consistency and repeatability, reducing the risk of passing assemblies with marginal or borderline error performance.
- Early detection of manufacturing and configuration issues: Identifies problems such as mechanical misalignment, thermal failures and non-optimized or incorrect digital signal processor (DSP) tap settings during in‑process or end‑of‑line testing — reducing the costly impact and likelihood of defective products reaching customers.
Keysight will showcase FITS and other network validation solutions in South Hall, booth #1300 from March 17 to March 19, 2026, at the OFC Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California.
