diff --git a/tests/testsuite.at b/tests/testsuite.at
index a8efe42..bd758c9 100644
--- a/tests/testsuite.at
+++ b/tests/testsuite.at
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@
 AT_CHECK([$abs_top_builddir/tests/db/db_test], [], [expout], [experr])
 AT_CLEANUP
 
+# AT_SKIP_IF: disable for old sqlite versions, because the way we dump tables in the test doesn't work with it.
+# https://lists.osmocom.org/pipermail/openbsc/2019-November/013063.html
 AT_SETUP([db_upgrade])
+AT_SKIP_IF([ ! pkg-config sqlite3 --exists --atleast-version=3.16.2 ])
 AT_KEYWORDS([db_upgrade])
 cat $abs_srcdir/db_upgrade/db_upgrade_test.ok > expout
 cat $abs_srcdir/db_upgrade/db_upgrade_test.err > experr