5G introduces next generation of OTA testing – Bluetest leads the way
With 5G, we enter an exciting era for wireless testing. Base stations and Remote Radio Units (RRU) are moving towards more integrated antenna/radio solutions, as well as Massive MIMO with 64 or more radio/antenna elements. Bluetest provides the necessary solutions when new measurement challenges arise and the need for OTA testing increases.
A comprehensive, cost-efficient and rapid measurement solution with substantial business benefits
Measuring output power, adjacent channel leakage or spurious emission on a large amount of individual antenna ports is not a sustainable practice and may in many cases not even be technically possible due to the close integration between the radios and antennas. With the elimination of the traditional antenna cable, measurements need to be adapted to Over-the-Air testing.
The challenges in 5G testing are real, but Bluetest presents the solutions. Whether in base station R&D, production or a cellular operator, the RTS85HP reverberation chamber brings the answer to the table. With its innovative technology it is easy to move RF power measurements from the conducted domain to the OTA domain, while still retaining measurement times in the 10s-of-seconds-to-minute range. The reverberation chamber is now also included as test method in the 3GPP NR base station radiated conformance test specification TS 38.141-2.
Key features
TRP based RF metrics according to 3GPP TS 38.141-2
Easy to expand future measurement capability
Measure base stations that generate power up to 200 W
Fully customized, low maintenance, robust & cost-efficient solution for daily operations
Provides wide frequency range of 450 MHz to 67 GHz for testing - using only 2 different measurement antennas with the low frequency antenna covering frequencies to more than 12.75 GHz
Bluetest has developed the RTS85HP for world-leading base station manufacturers, placing an emphasis on safety, efficiency and performance to create a highly effective production testing solution. Bluetest technology also helps ensure operators that the products they deploy meet their operational criteria.
In addition, raw test data collected is automatically saved and stored on a server for review anytime, on-site or by remote log-in access. Enables generation of reports and graphs and added to a customized script for data analysis.
Easy to install and not sensitive to temperature and humidity
Practical chamber height creates viable solution for most indoor conditions
Comprehensive GUI including Flow Analyzer and Flow Manager makes it very easy to operate
Saves considerable time compared with other testing methods. Test 5G base station properties on premises to evaluate performance quickly and efficiently
Complementary technologies for complete 5G measurement
Bluetest have adapted highly complementary technologies to provide best-in-class, comprehensive platform for conducted 4G and 5G base station R&D and production test and measurement. The robust Bluetest RBS Toolkit is complementing the OTA Flow/RTS85HP environment for conducted applications with high requirements on optimized test times.
Bluetest's RBS Tool Kit is built for utilizing the latest generation IQ capturing instrumentation, for example PXI RF instrumentation from National Instruments with the target to make testing of Radio Base Stations and related RF products faster, cheaper and more efficient than ever before. RBS toolkits provide ultimate flexibility and configurability for base station operators: Small footprint, quick integration, hardware reuse, and, its modular design means replacing only obsolete parts when upgrading.
For a chamber configuration more suitable for device measurements the regular RTS85 is recommended.