Rohde & Schwarz And Bluetest Announce Collaboration On Test Concepts For A-GNSS OTA Antenna Measurements

Test and measurement specialist Rohde & Schwarz and Swedish over-the-air (OTA) reverberation test system manufacturer Bluetest cooperate on assisted global navigation satellite system (A-GNSS) OTA testing concepts for antenna measurements. The proof of concept solution integrating the Rohde & Schwarz LBS Server and Bluetest OTA test solution was demonstrated at Rohde & Schwarz headquarters in Munich.

Testing the antenna performance of GNSS signals such as GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo and MBS is key to location accuracy performance of a mobile device. To address the testing need for A-GNSS services, Rohde & Schwarz and Bluetest partner in creating test concepts for OTA antenna measurements. The two companies integrate the R&S LBS Server, a Software component running on the R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester, and the Bluetest OTA test solution for A-GNSS systems based on Bluetest’s RTS65 reverberation chamber and Bluetest’s Flow measurement software.

In this test setup, the R&S LBS Server controls the Rohde & Schwarz base station simulator R&S CMW500 for LTE, WCDMA and GSM and uses the R&S SMBV100B vector signal generator for simulation of GNSS and MBS signals. A simple and straightforward upgrade of the setup for 5G will be available soon, making sure that investments are protected and most relevant standards can be tested with the same system.

The R&S LBS Server is an essential part of the R&S TS8991 OTA Performance Test System. This cooperation between Rohde & Schwarz and Bluetest marks the first time that the R&S LBS Server, used here as a software tool on R&S CMW500, is available also for third parties.

Alexander Pabst, Vice President Systems and Projects at Rohde & Schwarz, says: “We are delighted to collaborate with Bluetest to contribute with our test and measurement expertise to OTA 4G/3G/GSM and GNSS technology development. With a strong global footprint for location-based services LBS and close cooperation with partners, Rohde & Schwarz is committed to accompanying the evolution path from OTA testing for GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo with innovative test and measurement solutions.”

Robert Rehammar, Bluetest CTO, confirms; “The addition of A-GNSS measurements means that the full range of wireless technology in a modern cellular device can be verified with just one test solution. Bluetest has enjoyed the close cooperation with Rohde & Schwarz on this project, leading to a very strong joint solution and customer offering.”―BCS Bureau