Rohde & Schwarz and Beceem Communications Inc. have collaborated to provide a custom test solution for Beceem’s mobile WiMAX chipsets. Based on the R&S CMW270 WiMAX communication tester, this turnkey solution enables Beceem’s customers to develop and test mobile WiMAX products reliably and efficiently.

The custom test software developed by Rohde & Schwarz provides RF alignment and verification for a wide range of products based on Beceem WiMAX chipsets and the software has been approved by Beceem as meeting its stringent calibration standards.

At the heart of the solution is the R&S CMW270 WiMAX communication tester, which, in a single box, combines a non-signaling mode for RF alignment in production and a signaling mode (base station emulation) for testing under simulated network conditions. Test time optimization is given the highest priority in the tester’s platform architecture. Multi evaluation measurements and parallel Tx/Rx test algorithms significantly reduce chipset configuration and handling times. Internal switching between RF channels further improves RF calibration of multi-antenna devices (MIMO) as it eliminates external adaptation.

“The goal of this partnership is to provide a fast, easy-to-handle test solution for all WiMAX equipment manufacturers using Beceem chipsets. It will allow them to test their products very reliably and efficiently," said Dietmar Vahldiek, head of product management, systems and projects, at Rohde & Schwarz.

Angelo Stephano, VP marketing at Beceem, added, “Enabling our customers to scale up production efficiently has been an important focus for us, and the collaboration with Rohde & Schwarz has led to a flexible production test tool that will minimize the time required to calibrate and test products using our chipset.”