Antenna chamber supports 5G mmWave angle-of-arrival testing

It operates within the company’s ‘New Radio RF conformance test system’ (ME7873NR, see below and photo)

“Evaluating user-equipment communications quality and connection stability at handover between base stations is a difficult technical challenge for mmWave mobile communications,” according to the company. “Consequently, Anritsu has developed its MA8172B compact antenna test range based [which] reproduces the radio-wave propagation characteristics at communications between the user equipment and two base stations complied 3GPP.”

For conformance tests and R&D, any angle can be set between the two base stations within in the MA8172B, and there is an upgrade path for owners of the earlier MA8172A.

ME7873NR is an automated system for 3GPP TS 38.521/TS 38.533 5G NR RF and RRM tests. With chamber MA8172B, the automated system can test antennas over 3GPP FR1 (‘frequency range 1’ = sub-6GHz band) and the mmWave FR2.

Roll-out of 5G mmWave FR2 services will be centred around North America, Japan and other advanced economies, said Anritsu, adding: “In particular, expanding service areas in the North American market will drive demand for performance tests of mmWave user-equipment using FR2 RRM conformance tests including angle-of-arrival. Currently, mmWave user-equipment must obtain FR2 RRM conformance test certification, and GCF [‘global certification forum’] FR2 RRM certification.”