Capitalizing on high-capacity backhaul solutions

E-band’s role in meeting 4G and 5G network demands

The E-band presents a notable advantage owing to its wide channel spacing, facilitating substantial capacity. Its application extends to various scenarios including backhauling RAN sites and fortifying.

Report

Efficient spectrum utilization: CSPs' Shift to E-band for enhanced backhaul

As the demand for strong packet-based capacity increases in mobile backhaul networks, due to the growth of 4G and 5G Radio Access Networks (RAN), there is a need for robust high-capacity backhaul solutions that can handle large amounts of data. This requires reviewing the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and availability targets of the legacy microwave links. At the same time, it is important to consider the efficient use of hardware and spectrum resources, particularly from an financial standpoint. While microwave technology is commonly used in transmission networks, communication service providers (CSPs) are now turning to the E-band, a high-capacity, lightly licensed, microwave spectrum operating in the 70/80 GHz range.

Additionally, the integration of the E-band technology aligns with sustainability objectives and energy-efficiency targets, consequently contributing to a reduction in power consumption.

Efficient spectrum utilization: CSPs' Shift to E-band for enhanced backhaul

In recent years, the E-band spectrum (70/80 GHz) has been made available in multiple markets. It has become a mature solution for mobile backhaul and is being used worldwide.
The E-band is generally a cost-efficient wireless backhaul solution compared to traditional microwave technology because of lighter licensing regime in many countries.
E-band provides fiber-like capacity with better TCO.
E-band extends its reach and efficacy in multiple use cases including high-capacity 4G/5G and fixed wireless access (FWA) backhauling, link aggregation, fiber protection, and eCPRI connections.
It is possible to extend the reach of the E-band by using multi-band.
As a significant proportion of mobile backhaul traffic is constituted by packet-based data, new KPIs for E-band link planning allow to increase its reach and capacity.

Capitalizing on high-capacity backhaul solutions

E-band’s role in meeting 4G and 5G network demands

Introduction

Efficient spectrum utilization: CSPs' Shift to E-band for enhanced backhaul

Key highlights

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