The 5G RAN wave is coming. Which transport is best?

Microwave transport has historically been the preferred technology of choice for macro-site radio access network (RAN) mobile backhaul. Microwave-based transport offers low-cost, quick installation and reliable, secure operations. That’s why Ericsson’s customers have relied on microwave transport as part of their RAN for years.

However, recent headlines in the trade press and direct feedback from our customers clearly reveal that the focus and the investment is moving to fiber optic distribution networks for RAN Transport. The ever-growing consumer demand for bandwidth, small-cell densification and service provider’s 5G plans are the main drivers for investment in fiber optical distribution networks (ODN).

This makes sense, of course. The gradual migration to fiber has been underway for at least two decades and will continue in the foreseeable future. Leveraging the advantages of a fiber optic distribution network has its benefits. But fiber may not always be available where we want it, when we want it. And deploying fiber ODNs comes with a materially significant price in terms of expense, time required and complexity, which service providers must balance against the pressures to deploy radios and get them on-the-air, thwart competitors and achieve growth ambitions.

Moving Microwave from Megabits per second to Gigabits per second

With recent technological advances in microwave system software and new radio hardware, microwave transport capacity has moved from megabit-per-second capacity to gigabit-per-second capacity. In addition, since the refractive index of air is lower than fiber optic cable, microwave hops actually exhibit lower latency than fiber links.

Many of our customers have asked us if we think microwave transport can handle the demands of a 5G radio access network.

The answer is yes

The key is having the right microwave technology. Many existing microwave products don’t have the capability to handle the demands of a 5G network.