Ascom Wireless Solutions opens new test center in Russia

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN: On December, 7, a brand-new Ascom Wireless Solutions test center was officially opened at MERA in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The new facility, an important part of Ascom's long-term R&D investment, aims to speed up future market launches of new technologies.

“Co-operation with MERA enables us to put all of our focus into development of next generation communication solutions,” says Stefan Brämberg, VP, Research & Development, Ascom Wireless Solutions.

Based in Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), MERA is well-known in the IT and telecom industry closely collaborating with a handful of world-renowned clients such as Avaya, Ericsson, Kapsch, TeleCommunication Systems, Tieto, etc.

The co-operation with Ascom is primarily launched to improve flexibility in volume testing of new products, while other assignments are yet to come. “We are currently in a very expansive phase with rapidly increasing volumes and growing number of products that have to be tested thousands of times per item. In order to allocate our efforts where they are most needed MERA will assist us at the same high skill level as our test engineers in Sweden guaranteeing best-in-class quality from start to finish,” says Stefan Brämberg

MERA will provide comprehensive equipment testing services and simultaneously run both maintenance and development projects with a test team being an integrated part of Ascom team. The Russian company will provide support with functional testing of handsets and management tools, implement new features, make corrections and drive regression tests. As the test lab is fully equipped for Device Management Over the Air (OTA) and via chargers the team will cover software update and installation tests, as well as device configuration.

“We are really looking forward to this partnership. Ascom’s portfolio and MERA’s domain expertise in Unified Communications match perfectly and we are keen to unlock full potential of such a synergy. Currently we have a team of engineers engaged in various projects for Ascom and the cooperation may need to be expanded further shortly,” says Alexey Myakov, VP, Business Development.

One of the key Ascom products tested in the new center is Ascom d81 handset which is used in working environments where staff is potentially exposed to risks to their personal safety. In these situations, the need for reliable, robust equipment is a priority. The d81 features advanced alarm functionality, alarm prioritization capability, one-push alarm button with dual functionality, base-station location technology and optional, high accuracy beacon location technology that can trace alarms to a specific room if required.