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What is over-the-air (OTA) antenna testing?

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Over-the-air (OTA) testing measures the radiated performance of a complete wireless device, including its antenna, radio and enclosure, rather than the antenna alone. The key metrics are total radiated power (TRP), the transmit power integrated over the sphere, and total isotropic sensitivity (TIS), the receiver sensitivity averaged over the sphere, measured in free space and with head and hand phantoms according to CTIA test plans and 3GPP specifications.[1][2]

How are TRP and TIS defined?

TRP = (1/4π)∮[EIRPθ(θ,φ) + EIRPφ(θ,φ)] dΩ, i.e., the conducted power times the antenna’s total efficiency. TIS is the harmonic-mean equivalent of sensitivity over the sphere for both polarizations, i.e., conducted sensitivity divided by total efficiency in the ideal case.[1]

Why test OTA instead of conducted?

Conducted tests miss antenna efficiency, user effects and self-interference from the device’s own digital circuits (desense), which often degrades TIS by several dB. Operators set minimum TRP and maximum TIS requirements per band and position.[1]

Which systems are used?

Great-circle and conical-cut systems in anechoic chambers, multi-probe systems for fast measurement, reverberation chambers for TRP/TIS averages and MIMO, and compact ranges for 5G FR2 EIRP, EIS and beam measurements.[1][3][2]

Frequently asked questions

What is desense?

Degradation of receiver sensitivity by noise from the device’s own circuits coupling into the antenna.

Is TRP the same as EIRP?

No; EIRP is directional, TRP is integrated over all directions.

Who defines OTA tests?

CTIA Certification and 3GPP, with operator-specific requirements.

References

Online sources accessed October 21, 2026; printed works cited by edition. See all sources.

  1. “Test Plan for Wireless Device Over-the-Air Performance”. CTIA Certification. current version.
  2. “3GPP TS 38.101-1 and 38.101-2: NR User Equipment radio transmission and reception (FR1 and FR2)”. 3GPP. current release.
  3. “Foundations of Antenna Engineering: A Unified Approach for Line-of-Sight and Multipath”. P.-S. Kildal, Artech House. 2015.
Categories: Measurement