OTA methods for 5G BTS testing — Survey of potential approaches

Through the recent decades, the technical area of antenna testing has undergone disruptive changes, since modern telecommunication systems demand ever increasing test cases. OTA (Over the Air) testing initially mostly concerned making sure that cellular phones complied with radiation pattern and efficiency requirements [1]. For future BTS (Base Transceiver Station) systems, OTA testing will cover a much larger proportion of the testing needed for a transceiver product. Testing of multi-antenna devices will further require more advanced test methods, in many times involving spatial channel models [2]. This paper presents different existing OTA test methods of wireless transceivers, and what adaptations of these which may be needed for testing future 5G BTS systems. Aspects of both conformance testing and performance testing are discussed.