The wireless industry is moving at its fastest ever pace with the rapid introduction of LTE, and now the fast pace for LTE-Advanced and new technologies in WiFi. To match this pace and provide effective test solutions designers must keep ahead so that they can effectively test new technologies such as MIMO, carrier aggregation (CA), multi band radio, and co-ordinated multi point transmissions. Achieving this requires a new generation of signal generator to create all of the required new reference signals in a compact and manageable integrated environment. This is needed to meet the technology and measurement challenges of Multi Standard Radio, Carrier Aggregation, and MIMO with multi-carrier transmissions.

Anritsu is the first test equipment supplier to release the new generation equipment that is following these market demands. The MG3710A is the newest product on the market, and supports unique new measurement techniques to support these latest wireless transmission standards. It is fully able to meet these challenges, and so it enables RF designers to verify that their products are also able to meet the challenges of next generation wireless technology. The unique features include ‘waveform combining’ to enable an engineer to quickly create more complex signal combinations from libraries of signals, and the dual RF capability that addresses the future needs of Carrier Aggregation and multi-carrier transmissions that are being developed for higher speed data links. The architecture allows for multiple units to be locked together in RF phase and signal clock, enabling the effective and simple implementation of test systems for high order MIMO configurations that are currently in development (e.g. 8×8 MIMO).

Last year, Tektronix introduced a new mixed-signal oscilloscope platform, the MSO/DPO5000 Series, and unveiled new high-bandwidth and low-capacitance passive voltage probes. “Taken together, these products give embedded systems engineers unmatched performance and analysis tools for complex debug and validation tasks,” noted Amir Aghdaei, Tektronix president.

Other hot areas cited by Aghdaei include PCI Express, where bus speeds require effective test tools, such as the Tektronix TLA7SA00 logic protocol analyzer. Also in demand: instruments to support test work on DDR3 and DDR4 as well as the new USB 3.0 standard and 100 Gigabit Ethernet communications.

Meanwhile, new products like the model 810 handheld vibration tester for equipment maintenance fueled growth for sister company Fluke. Among other key product introductions cited by Barbara Hulit, Fluke’s president, is the 190 Series II ScopeMeter, a four-channel device built for 600-V electrical environments found in manufacturing.

“With energy prices uncertain, we anticipate enduring interest in products for measuring and reducing energy consumption,” said Hulit, “and the march of electronic controls across segments, from manufacturing to commercial buildings, will drive the need for more complex measurements as part of regular maintenance and troubleshooting.”

Ron Nersesian, president of Agilent’s Electronic Measurement Group, attributed his business unit’s 15% increase in 2010 revenue in large part to the introduction of more than 200 products, including 47 modular instruments in September alone.

“Our September announcement was the largest modular-instrument introduction in the history of the electronic-measurement industry,” claimed Nersesian. “We are just scratching the surface in our multiyear plan to develop modular solutions and give customers the products that best fit their measurement needs.”

Nersesian said that interest in smartphones is “exploding,” which is driving test applications for 3G and 4G communications. The aerospace and defense business is also growing for Agilent, which claims technology leadership in core products such as oscilloscopes, network analyzers, signal analyzers, and signal sources. One example: the Infiniium 90000 X-Series oscilloscopes that feature up to a 32-GHz analog bandwidth. On the horizon, added Nersesian, is more business from applications related to cloud computing and green technology.

For Japan-based Anritsu, not even a deadly tsunami and earthquake could dampen solid business performance in 2010, when revenue grew nearly 11% in yen (19% in dollars). In fact, all three Japanese companies in the top 10 reported a return to normal operations within two months of the March disaster.

“The chief factors that contributed to our revenue were growth in installation of broadband communications networks and the expansion of data-communications services,” said company president Hirokazu Hashimoto. “As a result, our top-performing test products were those that measured mobile communications, including conformance test systems, signaling testers, and field measuring instruments.”

Anritsu’s new MT8220C radio communications analyzer can evaluate and measure 2G, 3G, and 3.5G mobile terminals, as well as LTE devices. Other key product launches included the MW8219A PIM Master, which is designed to accurately locate the source of passive intermodulation, such as near base stations.

Hashimoto said Anritsu’s prospects for 2011 are strong, as the company exploits opportunities in mobile communications. Longer term, he sees growth from automotive electronics, digital household electronics, and machine-to-machine communications.

Another Japan-based company, Yokogawa, gets 80% of its revenue from industrial automation, but its measurement business grew by 16.3% in yen in 2010 (+26% in dollars). Its areas of focus: precision power measurements, waveform-measuring instruments, and data-acquisition systems.

As for significant new products, Takashi Nishijima, president of Yokogawa Meters & Instruments, pointed to the WT1800 precision power analyzer, which measures power consumption and efficiency in cutting-edge inverter/converter technologies. In addition, the new DL850 ScopeCorder instruments provide flexible solutions for making mixed-signal measurements, especially in mechatronics, aerospace, and vehicle systems.

“The global T&M market has been recovering rapidly, led especially by growth in emerging countries,” said Nishijima. “We have invested in these regions, maintained our position in major markets, and expect continual and steady growth in 2011 and beyond.”

Full article by Lawrence D. Maloney, T&M World