Verkotan selects PWC technology from Rohde & Schwarz for 5G NR OTA base station testing

Test and measurement specialist Rohde & Schwarz has recently introduced the R&S PWC200, the first plane wave converter (PWC) on the market. Verkotan is the first independent test house to choose this technology to test 5G NR FR1 base stations over-the-air (OTA).

Rohde & Schwarz has expanded its 5G NR testing portfolio with the R&S PWC200, developed for 5G massive MIMO base station testing for both production and R&D. The plane wave converter supports a large part of 3GPP certifications and features a bi-directional array of 156 wideband Vivaldi antennas placed in the radiating near-field area close to the device under test (DUT).

The R&S PWC200 from Rohde & Schwarz is a solution for 5G NR FR1 OTA testing of base stations addressing manufacturers and test houses, who can use it with the R&S AMS32 system software. It is the first commercially available PWC test solution, and offers an unprecedented small footprint.

For Verkotan, a leading test house based in Oulu, Finland, another important criterion for choosing the R&S PWC200 was the possibility to combine the solution with their own existing in-house OTA software applications and test chambers, making their investment more cost-effective. In addition to the Verkotan software, their R&S PWC200 is using software based functionality provided by Rohde & Schwarz, including pretransfer calibration, field simulation and calibration as well as self-test.

Alexander Pabst, Vice President of Systems and Projects at Rohde & Schwarz, stated, “Rohde & Schwarz is happy to present our new, industry-leading PWC to a valued client like Verkotan. In a highly competitive field, this kind of joint innovation with professional partners is important to bring testing efficiency for OTA to a new level. We are pleased to continue exploring 5G NR solutions together with Verkotan.”

Thanks to this solution, Verkotan is the first commercial test laboratory providing high-quality accredited test services for base stations and ancillary equipment. Kari Komonen, CEO of Verkotan said, “Our mission is to offer the fastest, most accurate test and certification solutions for base station, mobile device and antenna manufacturers. Verkotan is happy to rely on the innovative T&M solutions by Rohde & Schwarz and the cutting-edge qualities the R&S PWC200 offers. As we aim to be the forerunner in the field of test and certification providers, we hope our collaboration with Rohde & Schwarz will remain strong and continue in the future.”