Verkotan has selected PWC technology from Rohde & Schwarz for 5G NR OTA base station testing.

Test and measurement specialist said that the R&S PWC200 is the first plane wave converter (PWC) on the market. Verkotan is the first independent test house to select this technology to test 5G NR FR1 base stations over-the-air (OTA).

Germany-based Rohde & Schwarz developed the R&S PWC200 for conducting 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 a small footprint.

Verkotan, a test house based in Oulu, Finland, may combine the R&S PWC200 solution with its own in-house OTA software applications and test chambers, making their investment more cost-effective, says Alexander Pabst, vice president of Systems and Projects at Rohde & Schwarz.

Verkotan is the first commercial test laboratory providing accredited test services for base stations and ancillary equipment.

Kari Komonen, CEO of Verkotan said, “Verkotan relies on the innovative T&M solutions by Rohde & Schwarz and qualities the R&S PWC200 offers.”