TUV Rheinland acquires 4ffCom AG

Global testing service provider TUV Rheinland is expanding its global involvement in the field of wireless communication technologies by acquiring 4ffCom. The telecommunications company is based in Bochum and specializes in wireless testing services for industrial companies and companies in various sectors, such as entertainment electronics, the automotive sector and medicine. In addition, the company also develops its own test systems in the area of mobile and short-range wireless communications.

“With the integration of 4ffCom, we are now able to offer our customers their own fully automated testing solutions, also known as comprehensive testing environments (CTE). Furthermore, these solutions can be easily tailored to the needs of the product manufacturer concerned. This new option allows us to offer tailored CTE systems and highlights our customer focus while strengthening our position in the global IoT market in the long run,” explained Stefan Kischka, Vice President Wireless/Internet of Things at TUV Rheinland.

 And for the founders of 4ffCom, the integration is a key chapter in the company’s history: “We are absolutely delighted to be part of TUV Rheinland now and to be able to contribute our many years of experience and expertise at this significant and global company. Together, we can give our customers a lot more added value,”said Andreas Renz, co-founder of 4ffCom and Director of Global Business Development and Innovation Wireless/Internet of Things at TUV Rheinland.

 Tailor-made test solutions

The rapid changes in the area of wireless technology are a challenge for companies. In particular, tailored CTE systems reduce the amount of time required from product development to market approval. This is why effective wireless test solutions for development and certification, as offered by fully automated testing systems, are becoming increasingly important. And by integrating 4ffCom, TUV Rheinland is also strengthening its advisory capabilities in the field of wireless communication technologies. The demand for this is growing as an increasing number of objects – of all kinds – are connected to each other over the Internet using wireless networks. TUV Rheinland has been helping to actively shape these trends for a number of years. In addition to testing and certifying wireless standards such as 2G, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee or – in the future – 5G, other new technologies, e.g. for exchanging small data volumes over long distances with low energy consumption, are also being implemented.

 Complete range of wireless communication technologies for various industries

The global network of wireless technologies is becoming increasingly close-knit as a result. “Here, we are the leading testing company many times over and we are still massively investing in capacities. The integration of 4ffCom is another milestone and an excellent addition to the services we offer. Our global “Wireless/IoT” team is also promoting the development of testing standards, for instance, as a member of the fast-growing LoRa Alliance,” explained TUV Rheinland expert Kischka. As an established and diverse partner in the field of wireless networks, TUV Rheinland can meet all of the wireless communication needs of its customers, regardless of the industry, globally and comprehensively – with consulting services, test solutions, market access analyses for new technologies, but also independent tests and certifications of existing ones.