7Layers, an international group of certified, accredited test laboratories and developer of test systems and products, has announced that it is the first independent test lab to measure Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC).
ECC and its measurement is an important parameter to be considered when developing an LTE device supporting MIMO antenna systems. 7Layers ability to test and measure the ECC represent a major step forward in helping LTE devices reach higher spectral efficiency and achieve faster data rates.
MIMO antenna system design and its use in LTE device technology have received a great amount of attention for its ability to provide diversity gain and spectral efficiency. However, practical considerations indicate that corresponding diversity gain and the performance is reduced if the MIMO antenna patterns of LTE devices are correlated/similar. Minimizing correlation effects is a crucial consideration in the design of LTE devices with MIMO antenna configuration.
One of the main parameters to characterize the effect of correlation in an LTE device is ECC. ECC is a calculated value from the measurements of radiated total isotropic sensitivity (TIS) using a test methodology from CTIA v3.1 called ‘Alternate TIS Test Procedure based on Receive Signal Strength (RSS)’. Measurement of ECC helps the understanding of the design and efficiency of MIMO antenna systems.
Much of R&D and simulations regarding ECC has been done, but for practical considerations 7Layers helps device manufacturers and carriers to determine the diversity gain and spectral efficiency by testing and measuring this important parameter.