Mobile backhaul has a crucial role in communications networks. Operators must ensure robust connectivity and performance everywhere and, increasingly, address the need for enterprise private networks with cost efficiency.

Today, more than 50 percent of backhaul traffic travels over microwave links. This success is largely due to the fact that wireless links are significantly more cost-efficient than fiber and are typically fast to deploy even in challenging environments. Microwave transport networks are also serving industrial sectors such as utilities and transportation as well as the public sector for mission-critical connectivity.

Nokia provides highly scalable microwave transport solutions optimized for a wide range of deployment scenarios. In the sections below, I will introduce the key strengths of our comprehensive Wavence portfolio.

Providing a boost in urban coverage

First, let me highlight, in particular, the boost to urban deployments. Cell sites in urban and downtown areas need to deliver massive capacity and they are characterized by short link distances.

To provide the needed boost, our Wavence Ultra Broadband Transceiver millimeter wave (UBT-m) XP radios provide the highest output power and up to 20 Gbps throughput, meeting the future requirements of dense urban environments. Our most compact Wavence microwave transport product, UBT-m Urban, features an integrated antenna, which makes it an optimal fit in environments with limited space.

The benefits of smaller products include greater flexibility in choosing the deployment location, easier installation and reduced wind load, which all translate into lower site costs. They are also less noticeable at street level, which makes them a better fit for residential and commercial areas.

Extending the reach of 5G everywhere

The requirements for advanced communication networks are significantly increasing also beyond the city limits. In fact, mobile operators and enterprises with private networks are looking to expand their 5G coverage and capacity in rural areas with cost efficiency.

Microwave transport networks are ideal for extending the reach of 5G with fast roll-outs virtually everywhere, including remote areas, hard-to-reach terrains and off-shore locations where fiber networks are not cost-effective or where it may even be impossible to deploy fiber.

In rural deployments, it’s essential to deliver high speeds over long microwave links. Our Wavence portfolio provides high transmission power and supports several spectrum frequency bands. For example, with the triple-band antenna, we can provide the increased capacity and performance without the need to deploy a dedicated antenna for each band.

In addition, we support multi-band Carrier Aggregation, which helps enhance spectral efficiency and maximize the backhaul performance over long links.

Enhanced energy efficiency and simplified site solutions

At Nokia, we are committed to helping our customers reduce the carbon footprint of their networks. We produce smaller products, which have a smaller carbon footprint throughout their lifecycle, from manufacturing to the end of life. However, most emissions are produced in the use phase, which is why we build our microwave products with an uncompromised focus on energy efficiency.

Our software features, such as traffic-aware sleep mode, help reduce energy consumption when the equipment is in use at customer sites. With embedded power metering of Wavence products, customers can accurately measure power consumption in the live network and further optimize energy efficiency.

Our zero-footprint site solutions allow Wavence microwave transport products to be connected directly to the AirScale Baseband. It simplifies the deployments and reduces site footprint as well as energy consumption by omitting the need for separate cell site transport hardware.

Industry-leading technology innovations

At Nokia, our R&D teams work closely together with our innovation arm, Nokia Bell Labs, to deliver the benefits of the latest technology innovations to our customers. For example, we have developed our own Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) chipsets for Wavence microwave transport radios. They enable high data rates, compact form factor and enhanced energy efficiency, which all contribute to lower TCO for our customers. We are continuously evolving the RFICs to support more frequency bands.

Another key area of innovation is the advanced algorithms that help enhance network performance. Many applications in a wireless network require precise time synchronization. We have contributed to the Precision Clock Synchronization Protocol (IEEE 1588), which enables the synchronization of end devices faster than in one microsecond.

We have also developed industry-leading Carrier Aggregation algorithms that support advanced load balancing and provide enhanced throughput efficiency. These algorithms allow aggregating several microwave and millimeter wave frequencies, reducing the number of links needed to maintain a high-capacity backhaul connection.

Flexibility to serve operators,  enterprises, neutral hosting and critical transport backbones

Microwave transport is a robust technology for providing mission-critical and business connectivity. Operators and enterprises can unlock new business opportunities and accelerate the digitalization of industries by adopting a reliable and secure microwave transport network. Our case study with a North American service provider is a great example: North American service provider deploys next-generation microwave transport network for mission-critical connectivity

One of the emerging business models is neutral hosting. It allows the infrastructure provider to offer its network assets to multiple tenants, which helps reduce costs and the need for building overlapping infrastructure in remote areas. Read our case study with HeyTu Telecomunicaciones in Peru for an example of a neutral host case: HeyTu Telecomunicaciones Peru reduces digital divide with Nokia Wavence microwave transport

These case studies give further examples of how Nokia Wavence has helped our customers reach their business objectives:

• du extends high-capacity microwave backhaul over long distance to Dubai World Islands

• E-Band microwave backhaul performance field-proven under heavy rainfall

Visit the Nokia Wavence microwave portfolio webpage to learn how our products and solutions can meet your backhaul needs.