Tuesday 26 May, 2026
Mobile handset design has changed significantly over the past few years. Antennas, which were external in many cases, moved inside the terminal and evolved to be light-weight and low-volume.
The increasing focus on design conflicts with radio performance of the antenna systems can lead to service disruption and increased dropped call rates impacting customer experience. Increasing network density is not an option as it may not be viable in many cases.
Whilst the 3GPP standards define the absolute global minimum OTA performance requirements to be met by devices, numerous operators are already requesting higher values in their own procurement activities to serve customer needs and network rollout plans.
However, the test methods used, and antenna performance values requested by the various operators differ widely, leaving vendors with a fragmented requirements landscape.
To facilitate this alignment and agreement, the antenna experts of operators within the GSMA Terminal Steering Group have reviewed results of antenna performance tests (conducted within their own organisations as well as by the GSMA) and have aligned test methods and agreed on performance values to be used as guidelines for acceptable and achievable performance of antennas in Mobile devices. The values are supported by operators representing America, Europe, and Asia.
