The display is freezing during a video call, the contact folder cannot be opened, important stored e-mails suddenly are gone or the push to talk-service fails… There is a broad range of possible errors and error sources on new mobile phones. That may be due to short development times for the complex technologies, which the highly dynamic market demands from manufacturers. The customer does not care: He expects the highest level of reliability for his terminal.

P3 engineer Vladimir Obradovic and his team perform large-scale terminal testing on behalf of manufacturers prior to launch of a new handset: “Our customers can try a lot in the lab. But what their mobile phone is capable of under real conditions, they only learn from our field testing.” In the process the functionality of mobile services is measured systematically in different network infrastructures worldwide. P3 does not only create complete testing sets in the Mercury Quality Center for this, but also takes over planning and realization of the testing activities – also in view of the GCF certification.

“Our 3-man-teams travel everywhere. Yesterday Russia, today Kenya, tomorrow Teheran. That presents us with an enormous logistical challenge, since the customer does of course expect professional handling in addition to a high competence”, tells the 39 year-old project manager. Speed and flexibility count. “We developed a certain routine. If the order arrives on Friday, we can sit on a plane on Sunday and have already planned the whole assignment. No matter where it takes place.

In addition to field testing P3 also offers other terminal tests, with regard to e.g. mobile applications (mobile navigation, location based services) or to compatibility with different Bluetooth devices (headset, PC, printer, etc.). “Since terminals have to comply with certain standards all over the world by now, the manufacturers of course are interested in preliminary error analysis.” If requested this is also offered by Obradovic and his team on the basis of a detailed log file analysis.

At the end of a terminal testing the manufacturer knows whether his new product operates reliably or whether his developers have to work overtime. No error sneaks past the P3 testers.