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26Jul•Aug•Sep 2012InnovationsRohde & Schwarzsets up Asian hubCompany to expand capabilities in knowledge transfer,supply chain management and engineering R&D.NEXT-GENERATIONTECHNOLOGIES● Near Field Communication (NFC)This is a new short-range, standardsbasedwireless connectivitytechnology that is based on radiofrequency identification. NFC usesmagnetic field induction to enablecommunication between electronicdevices in close proximity. It enablesusers to perform intuitive, safe andcontactless transactions, access digitalcontent and connect elec tronicdevices simply by touching orbringing devices closer to one another.Rohde & Schwarz recentlyannounced that it hasinvested S$58 million in itsfirst global hub outside Germany atChangi Business Park. This is part ofan S$85 million investment by thetest system company in Singaporeover the next three years.The 12,747 sq m facility willbe Rohde & Schwarz’s regionalheadquarters and will house Rohde& Schwarz Asia – a global hub forR&D, engineering and productionin the region. The seven-floorbuilding is a state-of-the-art GreenMark Platinum building and isdesigned by local firm ForumArchitects Pte Ltd. Construction isexpected to be completed by the endof next year.The company is a global supplierof solutions in the fields of test andmeasurement, broadcasting, radiomonitoring and radio location, aswell as secure communications.With the worldwide boom inconsumer electronics, demand forfaster product development cyclesand the adoption of new technologylike Near Field Communication,Long Term Evolution and DigitalTerrestrial Transmission, the firm’sinvestment in Singapore marks astrategic milestone in strengtheningits presence in Asia.The company is expandingits existing system engineeringoperations to include other keyactivities and functions that arenormally conducted in Munich.These include product charterresponsibility, full-scale R&D,production and supply chain.Since its start-up in Singaporein 1997, the company has grownexponentially from a staff strengthof six to that of 350 today, with theramp-up of vital system engineeringoperations. About 100 to 150 newjobs in these functions will beadded with the completion of thenew building.Closer cooperation between theMunich headquarters and Singaporewould enhance product feedbackbetween Asian customers and itsR&D development in Singapore.The company’s solutions addressdiverse market segments, suchas wireless communications, thebroadcasting and electronicsindustry, aerospace and defence,homeland security and criticalinfrastructures. •● Long Term Evolution (LTE)This is the technology for networkoperators to deliver mobilebroadband data and high-speedInternet access. With the first LTEnetworks successfully startingcommercial operations, furtherenhancements will becomeincreasingly important in providingan evolutionary path towards a true4G system, with LTE-Advanced.● DVB-T2This is a digital terrestrial transmissionsystem developed by the DVBproject. It introduces the latestmodulation and coding techniquesto enable the highly efficient useof the valuable terrestrial spectrumfor the delivery of audio, video anddata services to fixed, portable andmobile devices. The technology canbe used to simultaneously deliver awide range of services, from MobileTV and IPTV to HDTV and 3DTV.Satellite navigationGlobal navigation satellite systemstransmit satellite signals that canbe used for location and navigationpurposes around the world. Thebest-known system is the GlobalPositioning System (GPS) whichis operated by many governments.Europe’s own global navigationsatellite system Galileo was setup last year and is currently inoperation.