Radiated Over-the-Air (OTA) performance should also be verified. This test requires an anechoic RF chamber, and therefore it is usually done by a test house.
OTA tests performed in a certified laboratory are often required for product certifications or operator approvals. To get certified by a regulatory body, the device must pass RF exposure evaluation. Each regulatory body has their own set of permitted antenna radiation parameters. The maximum allowed power density limits for radiation can be used to derive the maximum gain limits for an antenna.
Before doing radiated testing in signaling mode, it is recommended to do passive antenna testing. Passive antenna tests ensure that antenna efficiency and radiation pattern are at the expected performance level. In addition to signaling mode, radiated testing can be done on device level using the non-signaling mode controlled by AT commands.
For more information on radiated RF testing, see nWP033 - nRF9160 Antenna and RF Interface Guidelines.