Ota Testing of Iot Device 06 March 2020: This Is A Non-Binding Permanent Reference Document of The Gsma

GSM Association Non-confidential
Official Document TS.51 - OTA Testing of IoT Device
OTA Testing of IoT Device

Version 1.0
06 March 2020
This is a Non-binding Permanent Reference Document of the GSMA
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Table of Contents
1 3
1 Introduction 4
1.1 Overview 4
1.2 Scope 4
1.3 Abbreviations 4
1.4 References 5
1.5 Conventions 5
2 Overview of Access Technology of Cellular IoT 6
3 Test Set-up 6
3.1 General 6
3.1.1 Anechoic Chamber 7
3.1.2 Reverberation Chamber 7
4 Total Radiated Power 7
4.1 Test Method of Total Radiated Power 7
4.1.1 General requirement for Power measurement 8
4.1.2 Test method of Total Radiated Power in Anechoic Chamber 8
4.1.3 Test method of Total Radiated Power in Reverberation Chamber 8
4.1.4 Calculation method of Total Radiated Power 8
4.2 Total Radiated Power for NB-IoT UE 10
4.2.1 Test Procedures 10
4.2.2 Performance requirement 10
4.3 Total Radiated Power for LTE-M UE 12
4.4 Total Radiated Power for Cat1/Cat1bis 16
5 Total Radiated Sensitivity 17
5.1 Test Method of Total Radiated Sensitivity 17
5.1.1 General requirement for receiver performance measurement 17
5.1.2 Test method of Total Radiated Sensitivity in Anechoic Chamber 18
5.1.3 Test method of Total Radiated Sensitivity in Reverberation Chamber 18
5.1.4 Calculation method of Total Radiated Sensitivity 18
5.2 Total Radiated Sensitivity for NB-IoT UE 19
5.3 Total Radiated Sensitivity for LTE-M UE 22
5.4 Total Radiated Sensitivity for Cat1/Cat1bis 27
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Annex A Classification of DUT Catagory 28

Annex B Document Management 29
B.1 Document History 29
B.2 Other Information 29
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1 Introduction
1.1 Overview
OTA (Over the Air) testing is the key method to evaluate the antenna performance and
radiated performance of wireless devices. Poor OTA performance would result in high Block
Error Rate (BLER) in communication and potential access failure.
The number of IoT connected devices has experienced exceptional growth in recent years.
Some of these IoT devices suffer from very poor radiated antenna performance and cause a
bad user experience.
Unlike traditional devices, IoT devices come in various sizes, shapes, materials and work in
different environments. This presents lots of challenges for OTA testing of IoT devices. CTIA
have set up an IoT working group and have released OTA test methods for LTE-M devices,
however the details about working scenarios and benchmarks have not been defined.
Given the fast development of the IoT industry, the importance of OTA measurements and
the existing standardization status, the GSMA is developing the specification of OTA Testing
of IoT devices, which includes test set-up, test method, test procedures and performance
requirements.
To measure the radiation power and receiver performance of IoT devices, this document
provides test solutions for measuring the Total Radiation Power (TRP) and Total Radiated
Sensitivity (TRS), which can be carried out using two test systems: An Anechoic Chamber
(AC) and a Reverberation Chamber (RC).
1.2 Scope
This document defines the OTA Testing of cellular IoT devices, including test set-up, test
method, test procedure and performance requirements of Total Radiated Power and Total
Radiated Sensitivity for different types of cellular IoT devices.
The cellular IoT devices covered by this document are those using 3GPP communication
technology; for example NB-IoT, LTE-M, Cat1/Cat1bis, etc.
1.3 Abbreviations
Term Description
AC Anechoic Chamber
BER Bit Error Rate
BLER Block Error Rate
DUT Device Under Test
FS Free Space
HARQ Hybrid automatic repeat request
NPDCCH Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel
PUMAX The measured configured maximum UE output power
QPSK Quadrature Phase Shift Keying
RC Reverberation chamber
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Term Description
RF Radio Frequency
TIS Total Isotropic Sensitivity
TRP Total Radiated Power
TRS Total Radiated Sensitivity
UE User Equipment
1.4 References
Ref Doc Number Title
[1] CTIA Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association OTA Test Plan
TS 34.114, TS 37.544 v14.7.0, TS 36.521-1 V16-1.0, TS 36.101
[2] 3GPP
latest version
[3] CTIA CTIA Test plan for wireless device over the air performance ver 3.8.2
3GPP TS User Equipment (UE) conformance specification; Radio transmission
[4]
36.521-1 and reception; Part 1: Conformance Testing V16.1.0
3GPP TS Common test environments for User Equipment (UE) conformance
[5]
36.508 testing V16.1.0
Test Plan for Wireless Large Form Factor Device Over the Air
[6] CTIA
Performance Version 1.2
“Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels”, S.
[7] RFC 2119
Bradner, March 1997. Available at http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt
[8] RFC 8174 Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words
1.5 Conventions
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD",
"SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL"
in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 (RFC2119) [7] (RFC8174) [8]
when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.
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2 Overview of Access Technology of Cellular IoT

This section compares Cat1/Cat1bis, LTE-M & NB-IoT in terms of various performance
requirements against a number of critreia (bandwidth, coverage, bitrate, mobility and voice),
as outlined in the following Table.
LTE-M
NB-IoT LTE TDD LTE FDD Cat1/Cat1bis
Cat. M Cat. M
Bandwidth 200kHz 1.4MHz 1.4MHz 10MHz/20MHz
Mode A: about Mode A: about 148
Coverage 148 dB dB
About 164dB About 130dB
(NOTE 1) Mode B: about Mode B: about 156
156 dB dB
R13:
R13:62kbit/s(M
FD:1Mbit/s
T)
R13:200kbit/s HD:375kbit/s
Uplink R14:150kbit/s( 5Mbilt/s
R14:655kbit/s R14:
MT)
FD:2.98Mbit/s
（NOTE2）
HD:1.11Mbit/s
Bitrate
R13:
FD:800kbit/s
R13:21kbit/s R13:750kbit/s HD:300kbit/s
Downlink 10Mbit/s
R14:120kbit/s R14:750kbit/s R14:
FD:1Mbit/s
HD:588kbit/s
Support low Support high Support high

speed mobility; speed mobility; Support high speed speed mobility;
Support Support mobility; Support
Mobility relocation; relocation; Support relocation; relocation;
Not support Support Support handover; Support
handover; handover; handover;
Voice NOT Support Support Support Support
NOTE 1: Coverage refers to the ideal coverage capacity in the scene without interference. Coverage
shrinks when there is significant interference in the system.
NOTE2: For peak bitrate on uplink NB is used for multi-frequency transmission. If single frequency
transmission is used, the rate will be reduced.
Table 1: Comparison of NB-IoT, LTE-M and Cat1/Cat1bis
3 Test Set-up
3.1 General
The Device Under Test (DUT) can be evaluated in either an Anechoic Chamber or
Reverberation Chamber already specified in both 3GPP and CTIA specifications. Test
equipment is described below.
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3.1.1 Anechoic Chamber

DUT is set in an Anechoic Chamber at a distance which will allow a quiet zone from the
measurement antenna. A rotation system shall be used so that the device will describe a full
sphere rotation with 30° step angle. The antenna measurement can switch for horizontal and
vertical polarization or a dual polarization antenna could also be used.
DUT
measurement
antenna
Figure 1: Anechoic chamber
3.1.2 Reverberation Chamber

DUT can be set in a reverberating chamber which allows multipath signal.
Stirrers can be moved continuously or step by step to create a uniform distribution of waves
around the DUT.
The number of sample measurements need to be set at least for 200 for TRP (Total
Radiated Power) measurement and 300 for TIS (Total Isotropic Sensitivity) measurement.
Network simulator
Figure 2: Reverberating chamber
4 Total Radiated Power
4.1 Test Method of Total Radiated Power

The test method defined herein will:
a) clarify general requirements for power measurement;

b) define test methods of TRP in both an anechoic chamber and reverberation
chamber.
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The radiated Radio Frequency (RF) performance of the DUT is measured by sampling the
radiated transmit power of the mobile at various locations surrounding the device. All of the
measured power values will be integrated to give a single figure of merit referred to as TRP.
Due to the diversity working scenarios of IoT devices, tests shall be configured according to
the DUT’s working scenarios, i.e., free space configurations to metering devices, forearm
phantom to wrist worn devices.
Coordinating systems and positioning requirements for all configurations are described in
Appendix A of CTIA Test plan for wireless device over the air performance [3]. The
requirements for the wrist worn devices are also defined in Appendix Q of ref [3].
It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to define which options represent the “baseline”
configuration and to provide adequate supporting data that validates assumptions for
reduced testing of the remaining options. At a minimum, a complete set of measurements is
required for the baseline DUT configuration.
4.1.1 General requirement for Power measurement

The LTE system simulator and the DUT shall be configured as per Section 6.2 of ref [4]
3GPP TS 36.521-1, using the default settings specified in ref [4] 3GPP TS 36.521-1 and [5]
3GPP TS 36.508 as applicable. The power radiated by the DUT shall be measured using a
calibrated and accurate RF measuring instrument.
For NB-IoT type devices, since NB-IoT is a separate system different from LTE, a separate
parameter set is required in the system configuration, and the test configuration is different.
For LTE-M type devices, the OTA test methodology is fundamentally same as the LTE
devices.
In the maximum transmission power test, since the NB-IoT has no closed loop power control
and only open loop power control, it is not possible to adjust the DUT to the maximum
transmit power through closed loop power control. The DUT can reach the maximum
transmit power by setting a higher open-loop target power. At the same time, unless it is
demonstrated that there is negligible impact to performance with different options, tests shall
be performed on all possible DUT configurations such as battery pack configurations, and
different working scenarios. The test can be executed either using and Anechoic Chamber or
a Reverberation Chamber
4.1.2 Test method of Total Radiated Power in Anechoic Chamber

CTIA have provided two test methods of scanning the DUT, the “conical” cut method and the
“great circle” cut method, which can be found in section 2 of ref [3].
4.1.3 Test method of Total Radiated Power in Reverberation Chamber

CTIA have provided test methods of transmitter performance assessment using the RC,
which can be found in the CTIA Test Plan section 2 of ref [6].
4.1.4 Calculation method of Total Radiated Power

The calculation method of TRP for EUT is shown in formulas below, which is described in
3GPP TS 34.114 of ref [2]
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 EIRP (; f )  EIRP (; f )d

1
TRP  (Formula 4.1.4-
4
1)
Where  is the solid angle describing the direction, f is frequency.  and  are the
orthogonal polarizations. EIRP and EIRP are the actually transmitted power-levels in
corresponding polarizations.

EIRP ( , 
N 1 M 1
TRP  n m ; f )  EIRP (n ,m ; f ) sin( n ) (Formula 4.1.4-
2 NM n 0 m0
2)
In these formulas N and M are the number of sampling intervals for theta and phi.  n and
 m are the measurement angles.
When using
N
 Pn 
  C 1  R  
TRP  
n 1 n n
N
P
n 1
ref , n
(Formula 4.1.4-3)
Where Pref ,n is the reference power transfer function for fixed measurement antenna n, Rn
is the reflection coefficient for fixed measurement antenna n and C n is the path loss in the
cables connecting the measurement receiver to fixed measurement antenna n.
Pn is the average power measured by fixed measurement antenna n and can be calculated
using the following expression:
M
S
2
21, n , m
Pn  m 1
M
(Formula 4.1.4-4)
Where S 21, n , m is sample number m of the complex transfer function measured with fixed
measurement antenna n and M is the total number of samples measured for each fixed
measurement antenna.
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4.2 Total Radiated Power for NB-IoT UE

Category NB1 and NB2 are designed to operate in the E-UTRA operating bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 31, 41, 66, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 and 85.
Category NB1 and NB2 systems operate in HD-FDD duplex mode or in TDD mode.
4.2.1 Test Procedures

The test procedure is based in principle on CTIA [1] and 3GPP [2] methodologies.
The Total radiated power is measure with the following steps:
 Set the initial conditions as per Table 6.2.2F.4.1-1 test ID3 in sub clause 6.2.2F UE
Maximum Output Power for category NB1 and NB2 of 3GPP TS 36.521-1 and they
are specified in the table below:
Configuration Downlink
Uplink Configuration
ID Configuration
Subcarrier
Modulation Ntones
1 N/A spacing
QPSK 1@0 15kHz
Table 2: UE Maximum Output Power for category NB1 and NB2
 System simulator sends uplink scheduling information for each UL HARQ process via
NPDCCH as per 3GPP TS 36.521-1，6.2.2F to make sure UE transmit PUMAX after
Initial Conditions setting.
 When using Anechoic chamber Rotate the device in 3D dimensions using 15° step
(when using RC, 200 samples need to be measures at least).
 Measure the EIRP and EIRP with a sample step of 15° in theta () and phi ()
directions.
 Calculate TRP with formula detailed in section 4.1.4-2 when using anechoic chamber
and calculate TRP with formula detailed in section 4.1.4-3 when using reverberation
chamber.
4.2.2 Performance requirement

The average TRP of Low, Mid and High channels should be higher than the test
performance requirements in Table 3. UE category is shown in Annex A.
Category A NB-IoT TRP:
Stationary IoT devices-(Free Space): Devices will not perform handover or extreme cell edge
radio conditions for example: smoke detectors, temperature probes, etc.
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Final DUT Size

UE maximum
(The largest Reference
output power
Power dimension in any Average
Band (specified in sub
Class direction should TRP
clause 6.2.2F of
be within these (dBm)
3GPP TS.36.101)
limits)
Less than or
14
1, 3 23dBm equal to 5cm
Greater than 5cm 18
3
Less than or
12
5, 8, 20 23dBm equal to 5cm
Greater than 5cm 18
NB-IoT
Less than or
11
Greater than 5cm 15
5
Less than or
9
Greater than 5cm 15
Table 3 : Average TRP test requirement for NB-IoT UE Category A
Category B NB-IoT TRP:
Mobile IoT devices-(Body Phantoms): The testing condition should be similar to the usage,
e.g. with wrist phantom hand or torso etc. However, given that the phantom torso is not yet
standardized, the requirements defined will cover wrist phantom hand only.
Final DUT Size

UE maximum
(The largest
output power Reference
dimension in
Power (specified in Average
Band any direction
Class subclause 6.2.2F TRP
should be
of 3GPP (dBm)
within these
TS.36.101)
limits)
Less than or
11
equal to 5cm
1, 3 23dBm
Greater than
15
5cm
3
Less than or
9
equal to 5cm
5, 8, 20 23dBm
Greater than
15
5cm
NB-IoT
Less than or
8
equal to 5cm
1, 3 20dBm
Greater than
12
5cm
5
Less than or
6
equal to 5cm
5, 8, 20 20dBm
Greater than
12
5cm
V1.0 Page 11 of 29
Table 4: Average TRP test requirement for NB-IoT UE Category B
Category C NB-IoT TRP:
Mobile IoT devices-(Free Space): those devices can be in a handover process in the live
network or in extreme radio conditions.
Final DUT Size

UE maximum
(The largest
output power Reference
dimension in
Band any direction
Class subclause 6.2.2F TRP
should be
of 3GPP (dBm)
within these
TS.36.101)
limits)
Less than or
14
Greater than 5cm 18
3
Less than or
12
Greater than 5cm 18
NB-IoT
Less than or
11
Greater than 5cm 15
5
Less than or
9
Greater than 5cm 15
Table 5: Average TRP test requirement for NB-IoT UE Category C
4.3 Total Radiated Power for LTE-M UE

UE category M1 (and M2) is designed to operate in the E-UTRA operating bands 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 66, 71, 72, 73, 74 and 85 in both
half duplex FDD mode and full-duplex FDD mode, and in band 39, 40 and 41 in TDD mode.

The test procedure is based in principle on CTIA [1] and 3GPP [2] methodologies
The test can be executed using an anechoic chamber or reverberation chamber
The power can be measured using a spectrum analyser, a receiver of test equipment, or
power meter.
The total radiated power is measured with the following steps:
 Set the Network simulator as described in the table below.

 Send continuously Up power control commands to the UE.
 When using Anechoic chamber Rotate the device in 3D dimensions using 15° step
(when using RC, 200 samples need to be measured at least).
 Measure the EIRP and EIRP with a sample step of 15° in theta () and phi ()
directions.
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 Calculate TRP with formula in section 4.1.4-2 when using anechoic chamber and
calculate TRP with formula in section 4.1.4-3 when using a reverberation chamber.
Power Class 3 Power Class 5

Channel
DL RB
Band Bandwidth Channel
UL RB Allocation
(MHz) UL RB allocation
allocation
10 Low 4 5 6
1 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
2 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
3 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
4 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
5 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
7 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
8 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
11 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
12 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
13 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
14 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
17 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
18 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
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Channel DL RB
Band Bandwidth Channel Power Class 3 Power Class 5
Allocation
(MHz)
10 Low 4 5 6
19 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
20 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
21 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
25 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
26 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
28 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
31 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
41 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
66 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
70 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
71 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
72 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
73 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
74 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
10 Low 4 5 6
85 10 Mid 4 5 6
10 High 4 5 6
V1.0 Page 14 of 29
Table 6: Network Simulator configuration

The average TRP of Low, Mid and High channels should be higher than the test
performance requirements in Table 6. UE category is shown in Annex A.
Category A LTE-M TRP:
Stationary IoT devices-(Free Space): such device will not perform handover or extreme cell
edge radio condition in example: smoke detector, temperature probe, etc.
Final DUT Size

UE maximum
(The largest
output power
dimension in Reference
Power (specified in
Band any direction Average TRP
Class subclause 6.2.2F
should be (dBm)
of 3GPP
within these
TS.36.101)
limits)
Less than or
14
equal to 5cm
1, 3, 7 23dBm
Greater than
18
5cm
3
Less than or
12
equal to 5cm
8, 20 23dBm
Greater than
18
5cm
LTE-M
Less than or
11
equal to 5cm
1, 3, 7 20dBm
Greater than
15
5cm
5
Less than or
9
equal to 5cm
8, 20 20dBm
Greater than
15
5cm
Table 7: Average TRP test requirement for LTE-M UE Category A
Category B LTE-M TRP:
e.g. with a wrist phantom hand or torso, etc. However, given that the phantom torso is not
yet standardized, the requirements defined will cover wrist phantom hand only.
Final DUT Size

UE maximum
(The largest
output power
Power (specified in
Band any direction Average TRP
Class subclause 6.2.2F
should be (dBm)
of 3GPP
within these
TS.36.101)
limits)
LTE-M 3 1, 3, 7 23dBm Less than or 11
V1.0 Page 15 of 29
equal to 5cm
Greater than 5cm 15
Less than or
9
Greater than 5cm 15
Less than or
8
Greater than 5cm 12
5
Less than or
6
Greater than 5cm 12
Table 8: Average TRP test requirement for LTE-M UE Category B
Category C LTE-M TRP:
Mobile IoT devices-(Free Space): These devices can be in the handover process in the live
network or in extreme radio condition.
Final DUT Size

UE maximum (The largest
output power dimension in Reference
Power
Band (specified in sub any direction Average TRP
Class
clause 6.2.2F of should be (dBm)
3GPP TS.36.101) within these
limits)
Less than or
14
Greater than 5cm 18
3
Less than or
12
Greater than 5cm 18
LTE-M
Less than or
11
Greater than 5cm 15
5
Less than or
9
Greater than 5cm 15
Table 9: Average TRP test requirement for LTE-M UE Category C
4.4 Total Radiated Power for Cat1/Cat1bis

For Future Study

For Future Study

For Future Study
V1.0 Page 16 of 29
5 Total Radiated Sensitivity
5.1 Test Method of Total Radiated Sensitivity

The test method defined herein will:
a) define general requirement for receiver performance measurement;

b) define test method of TRS in both AC and RC.
Receiver sensitivity measurements shall be performed using data throughput as the

measurement metric. The DUT's receiver sensitivity corresponds to the minimum downlink
signal power required to provide a data throughput rate greater than or equal to 95% of the
maximum throughput of the reference measurement channel.
The receiver performance of the DUT is measured utilizing BLER, or other error criteria. A
three-dimensional characterization of the receiver performance of the DUT is pieced
together by analyzing the data from the spatially distributed measurements. All of the
measured sensitivity values for each DUT test condition will be integrated to give a single
figure of merit referred to as Total Radiated Sensitivity.
For the TRS test, tests shall be configured according to DUT’s working scenarios, i.e., free
space configurations to metering devices, forearm phantom to wrist worn devices.
Coordinate systems and positioning requirements for all configurations are described in
Appendix A of ref [3]. The requirements for the wrist worn devices are defined in Appendix Q
of ref [3].
5.1.1 General requirement for receiver performance measurement

The LTE system simulator and DUT shall be configured per 3GPP TS 36.521-1Section 7.3
of ref [4], using the default settings specified in 3GPP TS 36.521-1 ref [4] and 3GPP TS
36.508 [5] as applicable. The power radiated by the DUT shall be measured using a
calibrated and accurate RF measuring instrument. If the DUT has multiple receivers, the
receiver sensitivity measurements should be performed independently, and all receivers in
the DUT other than the receiver under test should be disabled.
For NB-IoT type devices, since NB-IoT is a separate system different from LTE, a separate
parameter set is required in the system configuration, and all frequencies and resource block
(RB) allocations should be tested.
For LTE-M type devices, the OTA test methodology is the same as LTE devices.
Total Radiated Sensitivity shall be fully measured and calculated pursuant to ref [3] [6] for
the channel(s) specified in Section 4.2 and 4.3 for all frequency bands supported by the
DUT.
Since the process of measuring effective radiated receiver sensitivity is typically less
accurate than measuring transmitter radiated power, this test specification allows for a
relaxation in the spatial separation to 30 degrees in the theta (ɵ) and in the phi (ɸ) axis for
TRS. The test can be executed either using AC or RC.
V1.0 Page 17 of 29
5.1.2 Test method of Total Radiated Sensitivity in Anechoic Chamber

Receiver Sensitivity procedures will utilize the same spherical measurement procedure as
specified for the Transmitter power measurements in this document Section 4.1.2 with the
exception of angular step size. Receiver Performance measurements may be made
simultaneously with tests performed in this document Section 4.1.2.
CTIA have provided two test methods of scanning the DUT are proposed, the “conical” cut
method and the “great circle” cut method, which can be found in sections 2 of ref [3].
5.1.3 Test method of Total Radiated Sensitivity in Reverberation Chamber

CTIA have provided test methods of receiver performance assessment using the RC, which
can be found in sections 2 of ref [6].
5.1.4 Calculation method of Total Radiated Sensitivity

The calculation method of TRS for EUT is shown in formulas below, which is described in
3GPP TS 34.114 of ref [2]:
The TRS is a measure of the minimum power required to achieve a specified Block error
rate (BLER). The TRS is defined as:
4
TRS 
 1 1 
  EIS (; f )  EIS (; f ) d
 
(Formula 5.1.4-1)
Where the effective isotropic sensitivity (EIS) is defined as the power available at the
antenna output such as the sensitivity threshold is achieved for each polarization.  is the
solid angle describing the direction, f is frequency.  and  are the orthogonal
polarizations.
2 NM
TRS 
N 1 M 1  
 sin  n 
1 1
   
 EIS ( n ,m ; f ) EIS ( n ,m ; f ) 
n 0 m0 
(Formula 5.1.4-2)
In these formulas N and M are the number of sampling intervals for theta and phi.  n and
 m are the measurement angles.
The TRS can also be calculated from measurements in a Rayleigh fading 3 dimensional
isotropic environment with in average uniform elevation and azimuth distribution. The
calculation of the TRS is in this case based on searching for the lowest power received by
the UE/MS for a discrete number of field combinations in the chamber that gives a BLER
that is better than 5% (BLER <5%). By calibrating the average power transfer function, an
absolute value of the TRS can be obtained. The following expression can be used to find the
TRS.
V1.0 Page 18 of 29
1
 N 
  C n 1  Rn Pthres,n 
TRS  2 N  n 1 N

P
n 1
ref , n
(Formula 5.1.4-3)
where Pref ,n is the reference power transfer function for fixed measurement antenna n, Rn is
the reflection coefficient for fixed measurement antenna n and C n is the path loss in the
cables connecting the measurement receiver to fixed measurement antenna n. These
parameters are calculated from the calibration measurement. Pthres , n is calculated by using
the following equation:
M
1

m 1
thres 2
S 21,n,m
Pthres,n 
M
(Formula 5.1.4-4)
thres
where S21,n, m is the m:th value of the transfer function for fixed measurement antenna n,
which gives 5% BLER threshold. M is the total number of values of the BLER threshold
power measured for each fixed measurement antenna.
5.2 Total Radiated Sensitivity for NB-IoT UE

The test procedure is based in principle on CTIA [1] and 3GPP [2] methodologies.
The power can be measure using, receiver of test equipment.
The Total Isotropic is measure with the following steps:
 Set the initial conditions as per Table 7.3F.1.4.1-1 in sub-clause 7.3F.1 of 3GPP TS
36.521-1 and they are specified in the table below:
Configuration Downlink
Uplink Configuration
ID Configuration
Modulatio Subcarrier Subcarrier
Modulation Ntones
1 n s spacing
QPSK 12 BPSK 1@0 15kHz
Table 10: Initial Conditions
 Measure the receiver sensitivity by adjusting the downlink signal level to 95 %

throughput of the maximum throughput of the reference channel (maximum
throughput is per Annex A of 3GPP TS 36.521-1).
V1.0 Page 19 of 29
 When using Anechoic chamber repeat Step 1) with 3-D sampling grid specified in
Sub clause 4.4 of 3GPP TS 37.544. The minimum RF power level resulting in a data
throughput greater than or equal to 95 % throughput of the maximum throughput for
each test shall be recorded for integration pursuant to Sub clause 7.1.10.1 of 3GPP
TS 37.544 to calculate TRS.
 When using Reverberation chamber Repeat Step 1) for a long enough time to get the
statistic result. The minimum RF power level resulting in a data throughput greater
than or equal to 95 % throughput of the maximum throughput.
 Repeat the measurement of the DUT on low, mid and high channels.
 Calculate the linear average and minimum TRS.

The average TRS of Low, Mid and High channels should be lower than the test performance
requirements in Table 11. UE category is shown in Annex A.
Category A NB-IoT TRS:
Stationary IoT devices-(Free Space): Devices will not perform handover or extreme cell edge
radio conditions for example: smoke detectors, temperature probes, etc.
Final DUT Size

Reference
(The largest
sensitivity
Power (specified in
Band any direction Average TRS
Class subclause
should be (dBm)
7.3.1F.1 of 3GPP
within these
TS.36.101)
limits)
Less than or
-99
1, 3 -108.2dBm equal to 5cm
Greater than 5cm -103
3 Less than or
-97
equal to 5cm
5, 8, 20 -108.2dBm
Greater than
-103
NB-IoT 5cm
Less than or
-99
5
Less than or
-97
5, 8, 20 -108.2dBm equal to 5cm
Table 11: Average TRS test requirement for NB-IoT UE Category A
Category B NB-IoT TRS:
e.g. with wrist phantom hand or torso, etc. However, given that the phantom torso is not yet
V1.0 Page 20 of 29
Final DUT Size

Reference
(The largest
sensitivity
Power (specified in
Band any direction Average TRS
Class subclause
should be (dBm)
7.3.1F.1 of 3GPP
within these
TS.36.101)
limits)
Less than or
-96
3
Less than or
-94
5, 8, 20 -108.2dBm equal to 5cm
NB-IoT
Less than or
-96
5
Less than or
-94
5, 8, 20 -108.2dBm equal to 5cm
Table 12 : Average TRS test requirement for NB-IoT UE Category B
Category C NB-IoT TRS:
Mobile IoT devices-(Free Space): those devices can be in handover process in the live
V1.0 Page 21 of 29
Final DUT Size

Reference
(The largest
sensitivity Reference
dimension in
Band any direction
Class subclause TRS
should be
7.3.1F.1 of 3GPP (dBm)
within these
TS.36.101)
limits)
Less than or
-99
equal to 5cm
1, 3 -108.2dBm
Greater than
-103
5cm
3
Less than or
-97
equal to 5cm
5, 8, 20 -108.2dBm
Greater than
-103
5cm
NB-IoT
Less than or
-99
equal to 5cm
1, 3 -108.2dBm
Greater than
-103
5cm
5
Less than or
-97
equal to 5cm
5, 8, 20 -108.2dBm
Greater than
-103
5cm
Table 13: Average TRS test requirement for NB-IoT UE Category C
5.3 Total Radiated Sensitivity for LTE-M UE

The test procedure is based in principle on CTIA [1] and 3GPP [2] methodologies with
specific configuration which will be indicated in this document whenever needed.
Power Class 3 Power Class 5

Channel
UL RB
Band Bandwidth Channel
DL RB DL RB Allocation
(MHz)
allocation allocation
10 Low 4 4 6
1 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
2 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
3
10 Mid 4 4 6
V1.0 Page 22 of 29
Channel UL RB
Allocation
(MHz)
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
4 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
5 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
7 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
8 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
11 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
12 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
13 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
14 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
17 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
18 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
19 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
20 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
V1.0 Page 23 of 29
Channel UL RB
Allocation
(MHz)
10 Low 4 4 6
21 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
25 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
26 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
28 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
31 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
41 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
66 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
70 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
71 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
72 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
73 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
10 Low 4 4 6
74 10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
85 10 Low 4 4 6
V1.0 Page 24 of 29
Channel UL RB
Allocation
(MHz)
10 Mid 4 4 6
10 High 4 4 6
Table 14: Table 5.3.1-1: Network Simulator configuration

The average TRS of Low, Mid and High channels should be lower than the test performance
requirements in Table 5.3.2-1. UE category is shown in Annex A.
Category A LTE-M TRS:
Stationary IoT devices-(Free Space): such device will not perform handover or extreme cell
edge radio condition in example: smoke detector, temperature probe, etc.
Final DUT Size

Reference
Power dimension in Average
Band sensitivity
Class any direction TRS
(NOTE 1)
should be within (dBm)
these limits)
Less than or equal
-92
1, 3, 7 -101dBm to 5cm
3
Less than or equal
-90
8, 20 -101dBm to 5cm
LTE-M
Less than or equal
-92
1, 3, 7 -101dBm to 5cm
5
Less than or equal
-90
8, 20 -101dBm to 5cm
NOTE 1: Reference sensitivity for the test bands are set to -101dBm in
GSMA referring to sub clause 7.3.1E of 3GPP TS.36.101.
Table 15: Average TRS test requirement for LTE-M UE Category A
Category B LTE-M TRS:
Mobile IoT devices-(Body Phantoms): the testing condition should be similar to the usage,
e.g. with wrist phantom hand or torso, etc. However, given that the phantom torso is not yet
V1.0 Page 25 of 29
Final DUT Size

(The largest
Reference
Reference dimension in
Power Average
Band sensitivity any direction
Class TRS
should be
(dBm)
within these
limits)
Less than or
-89
1, 3, 7 -101dBm equal to 5cm
3
Less than or
-87
8, 20 -101dBm equal to 5cm
LTE-M
Less than or
-89
1, 3, 7 -101dBm equal to 5cm
5
Less than or
-87
8, 20 -101dBm equal to 5cm
Table 16 : Table 5.3.2-2: Average TRS test requirement for LTE-M UE Category B
Category C LTE-M TRS:
Mobile IoT devices-(Free Space): those devices can be in handover process in the live
V1.0 Page 26 of 29
Final DUT Size

Reference
Power dimension in any Average
Band sensitivity
Class direction should TRS
be within these (dBm)
limits)
Less than or equal to
-92
1, 3, 7 -101dBm 5cm
3
-90
8, 20 -101dBm 5cm
LTE-M
-92
1, 3, 7 -101dBm 5cm
5
-90
8, 20 -101dBm 5cm
Table 17: Average TRS test requirement for LTE-M UE Category C
5.4 Total Radiated Sensitivity for Cat1/Cat1bis

For Future Study

For Future Study

For Future Study
V1.0 Page 27 of 29
Annex A Classification of DUT Catagory

This specification requires the classification of the DUT in accordance with the table below.
New categories could be added to this table in future versions.
UE Catagory Description
UE Catagory A Stationary IoT devices-(Free Space)
UE Catagory B Mobile IoT devices-(Body Phantoms)
UE Catagory C Mobile IoT devices-(Free Space)
Table 18: Classification of DUT
V1.0 Page 28 of 29
Annex B Document Management
B.1 Document History

Version Date Brief Description of Change Approval Editor /
Authority Company
1.0 March New PRD TS.51 TSG#38 Anni Wei /
2020 TG#20 China Mobile
B.2 Other Information

Type Description
Document Owner Terminal Steering Group
Editor / Company Anni Wei / China Mobile
It is our intention to provide a quality product for your use. If you find any errors or omissions,
please contact us with your comments. You may notify us at [email protected]
Your comments or suggestions & questions are always welcome.
nts or suggestions & questions are always welcome.
V1.0 Page 29 of 29

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GSM Association Non-confidential

Official Document TS.51 - OTA Testing of IoT Device

OTA Testing of IoT Device

This is a Non-binding Permanent Reference Document of the GSMA

Security Classification: Non-confidential

Annex A Classification of DUT Catagory 28

2 Overview of Access Technology of Cellular IoT

Support low Support high Support high

Table 1: Comparison of NB-IoT, LTE-M and Cat1/Cat1bis

3.1.1 Anechoic Chamber

Figure 1: Anechoic chamber

3.1.2 Reverberation Chamber

Figure 2: Reverberating chamber

4 Total Radiated Power

4.1 Test Method of Total Radiated Power

a) clarify general requirements for power measurement;

4.1.1 General requirement for Power measurement

4.1.2 Test method of Total Radiated Power in Anechoic Chamber

4.1.3 Test method of Total Radiated Power in Reverberation Chamber

4.1.4 Calculation method of Total Radiated Power

 EIRP (; f )  EIRP (; f )d

4.2 Total Radiated Power for NB-IoT UE

4.2.1 Test Procedures

The Total radiated power is measure with the following steps:

Table 2: UE Maximum Output Power for category NB1 and NB2

4.2.2 Performance requirement

Category A NB-IoT TRP:

Final DUT Size

Category B NB-IoT TRP:

Final DUT Size

Table 4: Average TRP test requirement for NB-IoT UE Category B

Category C NB-IoT TRP:

Final DUT Size

4.3 Total Radiated Power for LTE-M UE

4.3.1 Test Procedures

The test can be executed using an anechoic chamber or reverberation chamber

The total radiated power is measured with the following steps:

 Set the Network simulator as described in the table below.

Power Class 3 Power Class 5

Table 6: Network Simulator configuration

4.3.2 Performance requirement

Final DUT Size

Category B LTE-M TRP:

Final DUT Size

Category C LTE-M TRP:

Final DUT Size

4.4 Total Radiated Power for Cat1/Cat1bis

4.4.1 Test Procedures

4.4.2 Performance requirement

5 Total Radiated Sensitivity

5.1 Test Method of Total Radiated Sensitivity

a) define general requirement for receiver performance measurement;

Receiver sensitivity measurements shall be performed using data throughput as the

5.1.1 General requirement for receiver performance measurement

5.1.2 Test method of Total Radiated Sensitivity in Anechoic Chamber

5.1.3 Test method of Total Radiated Sensitivity in Reverberation Chamber

5.1.4 Calculation method of Total Radiated Sensitivity

5.2 Total Radiated Sensitivity for NB-IoT UE

5.2.1 Test Procedures