Rohde & Schwarz and Ceva Present Industry's First Test Solution for the Upcoming Bluetooth OTA UTP Test Mode

The next Bluetooth® release is expected to be ratified soon. One important new feature is the Unified Test Protocol (UTP) Test Mode for Bluetooth® Low Energy, that will complement existing test methods. The UTP Test Mode will additionally enable over-the-air (OTA) controlled device testing, which will simplify measurements of small and highly integrated devices enormously, since no direct wired connection to the tester is needed. Rohde & Schwarz and Ceva, in close cooperation, have developed the world's first test solution for this new test mode, making its debut at embedded world 2025.

MUNICH and ROCKVILLE, Md. , March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rohde & Schwarz and Ceva today unveiled the world's first test solution supporting the upcoming Bluetooth^® OTA UTP Test Mode, enabling over-the-air (OTA) controlled device testing. The two companies will showcase their joint solution at embedded world 2025 in Nuremberg. Rohde & Schwarz and Ceva closely collaborated to develop this test solution, powered by Ceva-Waves Bluetooth^® Low Energy IP. It runs on the R&S CMW radio communication tester platform from Rohde & Schwarz, with integrated Ceva-Waves Bluetooth^® Low Energy controller software licensed from Ceva.

OTA-Testing for small and highly integrated Bluetooth^® devices

Until now, wearables and other small and highly integrated Bluetooth^® devices required testing using the Direct Test Mode which involves a control cable between the test instrument and the device under test (DUT). Especially encapsulated DUTs make it difficult or even impossible to integrate a connection for this control cable. Hence, sending test control messages over the air without any cabling between tester and DUT as specified in the UTP mode will simplify the test setup immensely.

Radio controlled testing powered by Ceva

The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth^® Low Energy platform provides a fast, low-risk path for integrating low power and robust Bluetooth^® Low Energy connectivity into a system on a chip (SoC). The suite of optimized, integrated hardware IP and software has been deployed and Bluetooth^® SIG qualified in many customer chips. It has been shipped in billions of devices across various markets including consumer, automotive, industrial, mobile and smart home. Ceva-Waves Bluetooth^® Low Energy IP stood out as the ideal choice for Rohde & Schwarz to integrate it in their OTA UTP Tester, due to its maturity and robustness, combined with the technical support Ceva provides its customers throughout the development process.

Tal Shalev, vice president and general manager of the wireless IoT business unit at Ceva, commented: "Rohde & Schwarz has long been a leader in Bluetooth^® testing, and their highly respected R&S CMW radio communication tester platform continues to set industry standards. The introduction of Bluetooth^® OTA UTP Test Mode is a crucial advancement for testing next-generation consumer Bluetooth^® products, and we congratulate them on this timely innovation, powered by Ceva-Waves Bluetooth^® technology."

Unified Bluetooth^® testing over-the-air

The Bluetooth^® UTP Mode on the R&S CMW radio communication tester platform offers a simple and precise signaling test solution, perfectly suited for Bluetooth^® Low Energy radio tests in development, pre-conformance and production testing. All Bluetooth^® Low Energy and Bluetooth^® Classic Radio measurements are unified and can be performed with a single test setup over the air in a signaling connection. Comprehensive test automation and the highly accurate implementation of the Bluetooth^® test cases are crucial to ensure compliance to the Bluetooth^® specifications.

Christoph Pointner, Senior Vice President for Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, says: "Thanks to our close partnership with Ceva and their highly-proven Bluetooth^® Low Energy IP we were able to implement the new Bluetooth^® UTP Test Mode in line with the specifications of the Bluetooth^® Core Specification Working Group on our well-established R&S CMW platform. This highly anticipated solution will enable vendors and manufacturers of wireless chipsets, modules, and devices to test their products over-the-air with greater ease. In addition, they will be able to perform the testing for all Bluetooth^® radios with the same test setup."

Both partners are actively involved in defining the specifications within the Bluetooth^® Core Specification Working Group, ensuring that the test solution will be in line with the specifications of the upcoming Bluetooth^® release. In addition, the solution is compatible with the already ratified Bluetooth^® releases up to release 6.0 Channel Sounding, supporting the existing Direct Test Mode (DTM) with the conducted control connection.

Rohde & Schwarz will showcase this ready-to-market test solution from March 11 to 13, 2025 at Embedded World in Nuremberg in hall 4 at booth 4-218.

Visit Ceva at Embedded World in hall 4 at booth 4-462 for detailed information about the radio-based controlling software.

Rohde & Schwarz

Rohde & Schwarz is striving for a safer and connected world with its Test & Measurement, Technology Systems and Networks & Cybersecurity Divisions. For over 90 years, the global technology group has pushed technical boundaries with developments in cutting-edge technologies. The company's leading-edge products and solutions empower industrial, regulatory and government customers to attain technological and digital sovereignty. The privately owned, Munich based company can act independently, long-term and sustainably. Rohde & Schwarz generated a net revenue of EUR 2.93 billion in the 2023/2024 fiscal year (July to June). On June 30, 2024, Rohde & Schwarz had more than 14,400 employees worldwide.

R&S^® is a registered trademark of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG.

About Ceva, Inc.

At Ceva, we are passionate about bringing new levels of innovation to the smart edge. Our wireless communications, sensing and Edge AI technologies are at the heart of some of today's most advanced smart edge products. From wireless connectivity IPs (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB and 5G platform IP), to scalable Edge AI NPU IPs and sensor fusion solutions, we have the broadest portfolio of IP to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently. We deliver differentiated solutions that combine outstanding performance at ultra-low power within a very small silicon footprint. Our goal is simple – to deliver the silicon and software IP to enable a smarter, safer, and more interconnected world. This philosophy is in practice today, with Ceva powering more than 19 billion of the world's most innovative smart edge products from AI-infused smartwatches, IoT devices and wearables to autonomous vehicles and 5G mobile networks.

Our headquarters are in Rockville, Maryland with a global customer base supported by operations worldwide. Our employees are among the leading experts in their areas of specialty, consistently solving the most complex design challenges, enabling our customers to bring innovative smart edge products to market.

Ceva: Powering the Smart Edge™

Visit us at www.ceva-ip.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth® SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Rohde & Schwarz and Ceva is under license.

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SOURCE Ceva, Inc.