The field of RF/Microwave testing has been in a constant state of flux as new technologies have required increasingly advanced testing methodologies over the years. That fact has been put in overdrive with the onset of 5G.
I recently interviewed National Instruments’ Senior Solutions Marketing Manager Sarah Yost, and NI Semiconductor Offering Manager Chen Chang, about what they’re seeing in RF/Microwave test, how 5G has impacted it, and the outlook for 5G technology as a whole.
Mike Hockett, EE: What trends are you seeing in the broader RF/Microwave test field, or specifically in 5G test?
Yost and Chang, NI: With 5G upon us, the excitement is tangible as the entire wireless industry moves toward a 5G-connected world. Over the next few years, 5G will start deploying in volume, and we’ll all get to experience the benefits of this technology firsthand.
As we move to wide-scale deployment, we’re bringing 5G technologies off the engineers’ benches, through automated verification and into full production. For the sub 6 GHz bands, the test techniques are well understood and ready today. For 5G in the mmWave bands, the challenges and business opportunity are much greater.