Anritsu has announced the acquisition of Azimuth Systems, a leading provider of automated, real-world RF performance test solutions. Azimuth Systems will become a subsidiary of Anritsu. Anritsu, with the integration of Azimuth’s intellectual property, product portfolio and installed base, expands their test solutions, leveraging the strengths of both companies in the growing IoT and 5G markets.
Mobile broadband technologies are proliferating into every aspect of our society. The complexity of next generation (5G) broadband wireless will create more demands on radio propagation (data) quality. In addition, the dramatic increase expected in the number of IoT devices in the wireless network will increase the need for lab based testing environments that can duplicate communication issues found in the field. Channel emulators, and controlled RF environments in general, are indispensable in lab based testing to ensure expected data quality under any radio propagation environment. The radio propagation technology developed by Azimuth Systems over the past 14 years is a necessary part of evaluation and verification in research and development as well as for conformance test for mobile communications.
There are a variety of rapidly evolving trends in the wireless industry that require customers to have access to enhanced testing capabilities. These trends include the increasing demands on radio propagation quality in next generation wireless networks. Azimuth Systems has been working with the wireless ecosystem from the beginning of the 4G rollout and, as an active participant in the standardization of 5G, is well positioned to lead the definition of 5G radio propagation solutions. Their radio propagation expertise, as realized in their ACETM MIMO channel emulation portfolio and Field to Lab (FTLTM) solutions, will be highly complementary with Anritsu’s extensive wireless test and measurement product portfolio.
Anritsu has been expanding their test and measurement business for mobile terminals by integrating fading simulator technology developed internally into their current test solutions for 3G/4G. For future 5G solutions, Anritsu will be integrating Azimuth Systems' channel emulator intellectual property across their wireless test portfolio. In addition to adding key intellectual property to their R&D, Azimuth’s product portfolio expands Anritsu's addressable market, including the network equipment RF performance test market. The combination of these two wireless test equipment leaders will contribute significantly to the realization of IoT / 5G deployment.
