Experiment with microwave pays off
Engineers from Nokia and Orange France have broken the data speed record again after an experiment with microwaves. In a statement, Nokia said engineers from both companies combined the kit maker’s latest high-power E-Band microwave and traditional microwave frequency products and raced content on a 4 kilometre high-capacity link belonging to Orange France. They discovered they can move content at a data rate of 20 Gbps, a WAN speed breakthrough with great significance for mobile network operators operating on the backhaul circuit.
The trial successfully demonstrated the use of microwave carrier aggregation techniques, achieving a throughput of 20 Gbps over a distance of 3.6 km, said Nokia. “Wavence microwave technology can deliver high-capacity services and experiences to our customers over long distances, which is critical as the usage of 5G increases,” said Christian Gacon, CTO Fixed, IP, Optical and Microwave Networks at Orange France. This quantum leap will support Orange’s ambition to remain the indisputable best network in France, Gacon said.
The breakthrough was achieved by combining the carriers from two microwave radios operating in the 18 GHz band with two E-Band microwave radios operating at 80 GHz, using a single dual-band (18+80 GHz) antenna. As a result, Nokia will provide Orange France with a range of products and services from its comprehensive AirScale 5G radio access portfolio in addition to new products from its Wavence microwave portfolio. It has also promised its ‘state-of-the-art’ network management system along with support and services.
The Nokia Wavence portfolio includes innovative, high-capacity ultra-broadband microwave transceivers, designed to support operators as they build out their 5G networks. Wavence products support the evolution of both backhaul and fronthaul with multi-gigabit capacity, low-latency characteristics, and industry-leading RF power output for deployment flexibility. “High-performance microwave backhaul is essential for extending the reach of 5G networks,” said Giuseppe Targia, VP Transport Business Unit, Mobile Networks at Nokia.