60 GHz Line of Sight Backhaul Links Ready to Boost Cellular Capacity

The ever increasing demand for data on the world’s cellular networks has operators searching for ways to increase the capacity 5000 fold by 2030. Getting there will require a 5× increase in channel performance, a 20× increase in allocated spectrum, and a 50× increase in the number of cell sites. Many of these new cells will be placed indoors where the majority of traffic originates and fiber is the top choice to funnel the traffic back into the networks. But there are many outdoor locations where fiber is not available or is too expensive to connect, and for these situations wireless backhaul is the most viable alternative.

Unlicensed spectrum at 5 GHz is available and does not require a line of sight (LOS) path. However, the bandwidth is limited and interference from other users of this spectrum is almost guaranteed due to heavy traffic and wide antenna patterns.Communication links of 60 GHz are emerging as a leading contender to provide these backhaul links for the many thousands of outdoor cells that will be required to meet capacity demands. This spectrum is also unlicensed, but unlike frequencies below 6 GHz, it contains up to 9 GHz of available bandwidth.