October 11, 2017

Multi-Band (70/80GHz + 6-23GHz) Backhaul

An analysis of viability of multi-band links: where/when/why…?

Multi-band backhaul links consist of running multiple channels at different frequency bands (typically 70/80G + 6-23G) on a single link to improve capacity and reliability. These links essentially operate like an extended ACM solution – giving more reliability than E-band and more capacity than the lower frequency channel operating independently.

The usefulness of multi-band comes when operator designs links with the same mindset as ACM – different classes of traffic at different capacity levels each with their own target reliability (to take advantage of the better reliability and capacity levels offered by multi-band solution).

That being said, there will be a range of link distances where multi-band makes sense – which will be based on traffic profile, antenna sizes, and channel width. Cost is also a factor but will not be discussed here. These variables are analyzed in the attached document to gauge impact of each and determine where multi-band may be the preferred choice in real network deployments.

Multi-Band may be useful for some applications, especially where cost of 70/80GHz spectrum is inexpensive, however it has limited viability and use cases. You need to pay careful attention to link distances and other parameters to determine if this solution makes sense for you. While can be difficult to choose the best solution for a given link, Multi-Band is probably a good tool to have in the toolkit for use in the cases where it makes sense.

If you would like to know more or see how multi-band could work for you contact Aviat.