May 25, 2022

White Paper: Unleashing the Practical Capability of Multi-Band

By Terry Ross, PLM Director

When considering a Multi-Band solution, users are usually interested in accessing the multi-gigabit high capacities available at the millimetre-wave frequency bands at 80 GHz, supported by the robust operation of microwave radio. A tightly integrated radio solution that provides a seamless single transport interface for users makes Multi-Band a no-brainer for Mobile Service Providers, WISPs and Private Network operators.

So how difficult is it to plan for a Multi-Band solution? A designer has two choices: (1) look at a vendor-agnostic path planning tool like Pathloss and run separate microwave and millimetre-wave path calculations across a given path to work out the best solution; or (2) use an integrated tool like Aviat Design that provides a simultaneous view of the microwave and millimetre-wave performance in a single view. And in this way the user quickly sees what the total realistic capacity is, and what the typical minimum capacity would be when the path degrades to a point where the millimetre-wave is completely lost.

And when it comes to planning, it’s as easy as 99.999%, right? Or 99.995%? In reality, designing to such strict objectives on a Multi-Band link means you will be missing out on most of the benefits!

The key concepts of Multi-Band are:

1. Utilise the high capacities in millimetre-wave bands
2. Protect the link operation with robust microwave bands
3. Deliver a hitless single transport experience to the user
4. High capacity over longer distances than can be achieved with E-Band alone
5. Lower Total Cost of Ownership for high-capacity links, particularly operators who pay high microwave spectrum fees.