Base stations and/or terminals with multi-antenna configurations are expected to significantly contribute to much higher bit rates in mobile broadband systems. Higher bit rates using multi-antenna systems can, when there is rich scattering in the communication channel, be achieved 1) by increasing the modulation rate and/or reducing the coding rate as the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is increased through the use of diversity combining, or 2) through the use of simultaneous partially uncorrelated communication channels (Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO).

It is not possible to do direct tests to find the best multi-antenna configuration for optimizing diversity gain or MIMO capacity with the traditional antenna measurement method, i.e. anechoic chambers. Of the two alternatives for making direct measurements, i.e. drive tests and the reverberation chamber, the reverberation chamber offers many advantages. It creates an artificial, fully controlled and repeatable Rayleigh environment in which measurements are simple, fast and cost effective. The results are reliable and in very good agreement with simulations.

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