A TFR based method for the quality assessment of UMTS signals: an application on the first Italian experimental network

The paper presents a measurement method set up in order to quickly evaluate the quality of UMTS mobile communications. It works on a time-frequency representation (TFR) of the UMTS QPSK modulated signal, suitably down-converted and digitised. A virtual instrument has been developed and tested on the first Italian UMTS experimental network supplied by Ericsson to TIM in CSELT premises. The results of the field measurement campaign, carried out in order to evaluate the capabilities of this new communication system, have been used to evaluate also the method reliability in order to confirm the results of complex and expensive test benches.