CALABASAS, Calif. and FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — National Technical Systems, Inc. (“NTS”), the leading independent provider of environmental simulation testing, inspection, and certification solutions in the United States, announced today that it has received approval from CTIA, an international organization supporting the wireless communications industry, as a CTIA Authorized Testing Laboratory (CATL) for Over-the-Air Performance (OTA) Testing.

OTA measurement is essential to capture the antenna performance of a variety of wireless technologies, including cellular (2G, 3G, LTE), Bluetooth, ZigBee and Wi-Fi. As many IoT and M2M devices become increasingly more compact, antennas are sometimes forced to be placed near other antennas, displays, computer processors, high-speed memory, all of which can interfere and degrade the devices over-the-air (OTA) performance. In addition to power measurements, OTA testing can perform sensitivity measurements to illustrate how internal components are affecting the RF radio’s performance. This allows product developers to see where the issues are during normal operation and how they are impacting the product’s performance.

The NTS OTA chamber is a multi-antenna array system with 23 sensors allowing for Total Radiated Power (TRP) measurements to be taken up to 50% faster than older single sensor systems. This reduction in test time enables NTS clients to run more tests during their test programs. For customers testing devices with short battery life, this faster measurement time enables the test program to complete without charging the device mid-test. Testing covers TRP as well as Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS) in free space, 2D and 3D antenna patterns. The chamber measurement capability is 600MHz to 5GHz.

OTA performance testing has been recognized by wireless carriers and wireless device manufactures as an essential tool to determine the product’s usable range, battery life, connectivity speed and robustness. NTS has used OTA to evaluate products ranging from gaming peripherals and medical therapy devices to commercial drones. NTS experienced engineers interpret client OTA test results and identify RF issues that may delay a product’s launch. Additionally, NTS engineers and program managers further enhance the efficiency of client test programs by including other test services; the most commonly required testing includes product safety, global market approvals, and environmental performance testing.

“We are excited to be a CTIA Authorized Test Lab and adding OTA performance certification testing to our portfolio,” stated Rich Adams, Vice President of Operations for NTS. “At NTS we are continually adding new accreditations and approvals. Our goal is to provide our clients with the services they need to bring reliable, safe products to market quickly and cost-effectively.”

NTS is a portfolio company of Los Angeles-based Aurora Capital Group.

About National Technical Systems

National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS) is a global independent provider of environmental simulation testing, inspection, and certification services, serving a broad range of industries, including the civil aviation, space, defense, nuclear, telecommunications, industrial, electronics, medical, and automotive end markets. During its more than 50 years in business, NTS has built the broadest geographic presence and sole national footprint in the United States, an unparalleled breadth of capabilities, and has fostered continuous innovation, making NTS a unique one-stop resource to meet its clients’ demanding and evolving requirements. Operating through a network of 28 technologically advanced testing laboratories across the United States, this geographically diverse footprint puts NTS facilities in close proximity to its more than 4,000 clients, allowing NTS to serve the nation’s most innovative companies with industry-leading accessibility and responsiveness. NTS’ offering spans more than 70 distinct environmental simulation and materials testing categories, including climatic, structural, dynamics, fluid flow, EMI/EMC, lightning, product safety, acoustics, failure analysis, chemical, and other industry-specific tests, allowing it to handle its clients’ most demanding needs. Additionally, the company is accredited by numerous national and international organizations, which allows NTS to have its test data nearly universally accepted worldwide. NTS operates its inspection division under the Unitek brand, providing a wide range of supply chain management services. NTS’ certification division, which operates under the NQA brand, is one of the largest and most respected global ISO registrars, with active certifications in more than 75 countries. For additional information about NTS, visit our website at www.nts.com or call 800-270-2516.

Contact: National Technical Systems Sarah Willis (Media) sarah.willis@nts.com (818) 312-8680 Douglas Briskie (Technical)Doug.briskie@nts.com (714) 745-9174

 

SOURCE National Technical Systems, Inc.