Putting together the pieces of 5G testing: mmWave, sub-6 GHz and more

As 5G development and deployment continues to ramp up, the necessary testing for 5G chipsets, devices and equipment presents a number of new challenges at both millimeter wave and sub-6 GHz frequencies. “For a lot of people, 5G millimeter wave over-the-air testing is a completely new world,” said Chris Gillis, senior application engineer with Rohde & Schwarz. He added that 5G OTA production testing systems can be “just as efficient and reliable” as those for more familiar sub-6 GHz frequencies. At this year’s Mobile World Congress, Rohde & Schwarz demonstrated a two-part set-up for mmWave over-the-air production testing. It consisted of the R&S CMP200 Radio Communications Tester for signal generation and the company’s R&S CMQ shielding cube, a set-up which offers the ability to do either conducted or OTA mmWave testing with additional accessories available from Rohde & Schwarz.
“It’s really important to have an integrated solution … so that you know your system is reliable and you can always get good results and have a good yield,” Gillis said. Watch the full interview and review of the demonstration below.