E-band wireless systems, which operate in the 70-80 GHz frequency band, offer the most compelling alternative to fibre, with a number of advantages over competing high-capacity wireless technologies.

Ted de Boer, product manager for Carrier Wireless at MiRO, points out that E-band leverages the mmWave spectrum, which allows for ultra-high-capacity backhaul links at speeds of up to 10 Gbps over distances of up to 10 km.

Within the E-band a frequency bandwidth of 10 GHz is available for transmission and is divided into a lower bandwidth from 71-76 GHz and an upper bandwidth of 81-86 GHz, channelised in steps of 250 MHz, thereby permitting large capacities even when transmitting with low-level modulation schemes. The 10 GHz of spectrum available enables fibre-like Gbps and greater data rates that cannot be achieved at the bandwidth-limited lower microwave frequency bands.

Unlike Wi-Fi, WiMAX and other broad-coverage technologies whose system performance depends heavily on the spectrum and noise levels, E-band systems offer guaranteed data throughput, even under deteriorated transmission conditions. E-band is not subject to interference or congestion, due to the fact that it makes use of ultra-narrow beamwidths in 18 non-overlapping channels, across light-licensed and licensed frequency spectrums. Hitless Adaptive Modulation technology further assists with adjusting for possible link deterioration due to weather conditions, ensuring that the link stays up at all times, even during hurricane-like storms.

“E-band technology is ideal for high-capacity backhauls and where one wants to future proof your network in light of increasing bandwidth requirements. It can, therefore, be used to allow allocation for future capacity or to protect current capacity. If planning is correctly done, the system is guaranteed to provide sustainable interference-free throughput,” says De Boer.