Microwave capacity evolution – new technologies and additional frequencies

in densely populated areas. A typical mobile-backhaul network has thousands of hops, and operators must be able to increase microwave capacity without having to change frequency planning and replace equipment across their entire network. This article reviews current and future microwave solutions with the potential for Gbps backhaul capacity levels, for rural and urban areas. The solutions presented make best possible use of the advantages of microwave technology, including fast deployment, flexibility and low total cost. The possibilities created by 112MHz channels in the 42GHz band and by wider channel bandwidths in the 70/80GHz bands are explored. Finally, test-bed results are presented with recordbreaking 1024QAM modulation, 5Gbps single-carrier radios, the world’s first line-of-sight (LoS) MIMO microwave demonstration and ultra-high spectral efficiencies offering Gbps transport capacity on a single 28MHz channel.