A rigorous link performance and measurement uncertainty assessment for MIMO OTA characterisation

In this paper, a rigorous link performance test for MIMO OTA (multiple-input-multiple-output over-the-air) characterisation with traceable signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is presented. Measurements were made with three different testbeds which represent the 4G (fourth-generation) LTE (long term evolution) SISO (single-input-single-output), 4G LTE MIMO and 5G (fifth-generation) millimetre-wave (mm-wave) MIMO communication systems, respectively, in the small antenna radiated test (SMART) screened fully anechoic chamber, screened control room and reverberation chamber at the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The measurement campaign comprised of automated data acquisition of channel power, downlink (DL) & uplink (UL) error vector magnitude (EVM) and throughput. The measurement repeatability has been assessed with standard deviation plotted as error bars and the uncertainty sources in the OTA test are analysed.