Microwave rises to meet challenges of 5G deployment

The 5G transport discussion is primarily focused on the role of fiber in delivering on the increased capacity demands associated with next-generation cellular. But fiber comes with some built-in challenges, chief among them cost and availability–fiber isn’t always where operators need it and there isn’t always time or money to get it there. Given U.S. operators’ reliance on millimeter wave small cells to go to market with 5G, perhaps its time to revisit the role of microwave in 5G transport.

In its annual “Ericsson Microwave Outlook” report, the network infrastructure company takes stock of all things microwave in the context of increasing capacity needs over time. At an urban radio site, for example, Ericsson sees the current backhaul capacity need in the range of 150 Mbps to 1 Gpbs. At that same site, those figures jump to 450 Mbps to 10 Gbps in 2022 and, approaching 2025, 600 Mbps to 20 Gbps. This scenario, along with per site capacity needs for suburban and rural deployment is outlined below.