Growing demand for faster data rate chips

RFI Global Services has announced the expansion of its Bluetooth Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) test capacity.EDR test systems meet growing demand for faster data rate chips RFI Global Services, an independent provider of specialist testing, approval and product development services to the wireless, electronics, cellular and smartcard industries worldwide, today announced the expansion of its Bluetooth Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) test capacity. The market for EDR has grown rapidly as product manufacturers migrate more of their products to benefit from the three times higher data rates and lower power consumption figures (key for the battery life of portable devices). To meet the demand for testing Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR designs, RFI is taking delivery of significant upgrades to its existing Bluetooth test platforms and an additional EDR RF tester.

EDR RF qualification testing will soon become Category A (mandatory to use a BQTF).

The new test system will compliment RFI's current Category B EDR test system.

RFI's suite of test platforms for Bluetooth now includes: an RF Tester for V1.1/V1.2/V2.0, an EDR RF Tester V2.0+EDR, RFI's in-house category B EDR RF Test System, and a protocol tester for V1.1/V1.2/V2.0/V2.0+EDR including the HCI Test Suite.

In addition RFI offers customers the PTS tester with official BC4 Nanosira Dongle (validated by the Bluetooth SIG).

This combination of test platforms and capacity puts RFI in the position to run, in parallel, Basic Rate RF, EDR RF and Profile Interoperability tests, reducing the time of full approval to only 5 days.

This capability gives RFI great competitive advantage as, even in Asia, very few compliance labs are able to offer this kind of turnaround and lead time.

RFI is currently the only Bluetooth Qualification Test Facility in the UK and has probably the strongest engineering resource to be found anywhere in the world since it entered the Bluetooth test arena in April 2002.

Whilst mobile phone accessories remain by far the largest single market for Bluetooth silicon other devices are gaining momentum including Dongles, In-car systems and motorcycle headsets.