Welcome – to the informational site for Gigabit Wireless Networking. We consider the available technologies for Gigabit Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks including:
Feel welcome to read our site and find out more about building modern, reliable and scalable Gigabit Wireless Networks for Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (Wi-Man), 4G/LTE backhaul networks, Small Cell Backhaul, Corporate Networks and Campus and CCTV wireless networks.
We include technology introduction papers as well as usage cases to guide users in the very latest in Gigabit Wireless technology and deployment. Modern wireless products can reach 10Gbps or higher capacity.
Applications for Wireless
Gigabit Wireless Technology
Gigabit Wireless networks are used in a wide range of applications which include
Safe Cities
Smart Cities
4G/LTE Backhaul Networks
Broadband Wireless
Last Mile Networks
Campus Sites
Corporate Networks
Education networks
Metro WiFi
Security and CCTV
If you are considering a wireless network with 10Gbps or higher capacity, please ask our team of experts who will be delighted to assist:
Infinet have announced to partners that due to the geopolitical issue between Russia and Ukraine that Infinet exports will cease and concentrate on the domestic market only, therefore cannot supply overseas customers for their entire range of radio links. It’s always sad to see a long established vendor exit global markets, and this move means many radio link users will have to look for alternatives. Many users own radio links which are older and sometimes problematic. Often, users require higher reliability, uptime, capacity or distance than their older radio links can provide.
The Need for Reliability and High Availability
Modern IP networks demand higher capacity and uptime, and as radio links are installed outdoors often in harsh conditions where they age faster than indoor mounted IT equipment such as switches and routers, which are installed in nice airconditioned environments. Modern Carrier Class wireless equipment is designed for all-outdoor use including harsh environments and can ensure ultra-high availability and reliability in practical use.
Alternatives to Infinet and 5GHz radios
There are many alternatives available including Carrier Class radio from other vendors, radio links with 10Gbps+ capacity, Microwave links and MMW radio. These have different characteristics, capabilities and price points. Modern links can offer up to 40Gbps capacity and for low-end solutions, MIMO radios at lower price points than high cost MIMO radio for sites where budgets are tight.
If the customer requires a direct replacement radio link, there are some trusted MIMO radio vendors currently available with reliable shipping products.
Other radio vendors currently offering carrier grade radio:
Infinet (based in Russia) is a Manufacturer of radio bridges/links
Built for line of site (LOS) with ranges suitable up to several km
MIMO radios using OFDM modulation
Licence free operation or light-licensed technology
Infinet state:
Infinet Wireless is in a unique position, being one of the largest privately owned Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) development and manufacturing companies in the world. Since its foundation, Infinet Wireless has maintained consistent, organic growth primarily through its technology innovation and its ability to deliver complete customer satisfaction – no matter what. By listening to its customers over the past 20 years and using their feedback and expertise in our research and product development, we have created a range of fixed wireless connectivity solutions that are a perfect fit – and therefore a natural choice – for global communication providers, corporations and governments who require uncompromised connectivity.
Upgrading from Infinet radio links
Infinet state that radio models are advanced radio links compared to others in the industry, and have been deployed worldwide. However, now are no longer available on the global market.
Upgrading from Infinet Radio Wireless Bridge
Infinet state that their Radio Wireless Bridge links offer competitive pricing and value for various distances . Utilizing MIMO OFDM technology, these radio bridges are generally half duplex connectivity.
Infinet R5000
Disclaimer
The technical specifications listed above are those advertised by the manufacturer. No warranty is made to the accuracy of this information, which may vary widely in practical installations. Many vendors are known to exaggerate or mis-state the capability of the equipment which they offer.
For More Information on Wireless Upgrades
If you would like more information on upgrading Infinet radio link solutions please Contact Us and our experienced team of wireless experts will be delighted to assist.
How to Upgrade your Lightpointe MMW Millimeter Wave Links
Lightpointe MMW Airebeam Millimeter Wave Link
Why upgrade your Lightpointe MMW link?
Lightpointe have announced by email that they are closing down operations and therefore cannot support their entire range of MMW links. It’s always sad to see a long established vendor close down, and means many Millimeter Wave link users will have to look for alternatives. Many users own MMW links including Lightpointe which are old and sometimes problematic. Often, users require higher reliability, uptime, capacity or distance than their older Millimeter Wave links can provide.
The Need for Reliability and High Availability
Modern IP networks demand higher capacity and uptime, and as MMW links are installed outdoors often in harsh conditions where they age faster than indoor mounted IT equipment such as switches and routers, which are installed in nice airconditioned environments. Modern Carrier Class wireless equipment is designed for all-outdoor use including harsh environments and can ensure ultra-high availability and reliability in practical use.
Alternatives to Lightpointe and MMW
There are many alternatives available including Carrier Class MMW from other vendors, MMW links with 10Gbps+ capacity, Microwave links and MIMO radio. These have different characteristics, capabilities and price points. Modern links can offer up to 40Gbps capacity and for low-end solutions, MIMO radios at lower price points than MMW for sites where budgets are tight.
If the customer requires a direct replacement MMW link, there are some trusted MMW vendors currently available with reliable shipping products.
Other MMW vendors currently offering carrier grade MMW:
Lightpointe – MMW Millimeter Wave – E-band and V-band links – Manufacturer information
Established in 1998, Lightpointe provides optical communications at the speed of light which operate license-free. With products capable of sending up to 10 Gbps full duplex of data, Lightpointe offers reliable, fibre-optic connections without the need for expensive physical fibre.
Lightpointe – Manufacturer information
Lightpointe (based in USA) is a Manufacturer of Millimeter Wave bridges/links
Built for line of site (LOS) with ranges suitable up to 1-8km
Ultra secure connections using narrow beams of light are secure from RF packet sniffers
Reliable availability with five nines availability
Licence free operation or light-licensed technology
Upgrading from Lightpointe Millimeter Wave E-band
Lightpointe state that AireBeam models are the most advanced millimeter wave links in the industry, bFor customers wanting the absolute longest range and highest availability, the Airebeam is the answer. Your data will fly between buildings using E-band or V-band frequencies.
MMW
E-band or V-band
1Gbps or 10Gbps full duplex
RJ45, PoE or Fibre Interfaces
Recommended for distances 1km up to 8km or more
Upgrading from Lightpointe Aire X-Stream Wireless Bridge
Lightpointe state that the LightPointe Aire X-Stream Millimeter Wave Wireless Bridge offers highly competitive pricing and extreme value for various distances . Utilizing an advanced V-band or E-band technology, these bridges transmit and receive data simultaneously for full duplex connectivity. Each side of the link can be ordered in a 1,000 Mbps or 10Gbps configuration.
Aire X-Stream System
1Gbps or 10Gbps
PoE or Fibre Optic
Recommended for 1-8km or more
Gigabit Wireless Technologies
Disclaimer
The technical specifications listed above are those advertised by the manufacturer. No warranty is made to the accuracy of this information, which may vary widely in practical installations. Many vendors are known to exaggerate or mis-state the capability of the equipment which they offer.
For More Information on Wireless Upgrades
If you would like more information on upgrading a Lightpointe MMW Millimeter Wave solutions please Contact Us and our experienced team of wireless experts will be delighted to assist.
DDM or Digital Diagnostic Monitoring is a management technology which allows operators to monitor several parameters of a fibre optic transceiver, such as optical input/output levels, temperature, laser bias current and supply voltage. All of these parameters can be monitored in real-time.
Examples of optical modules supporting DDM are the Small Form Factor Pluggable modules such as SFP and SFP+ for 1Gbps to 10Gbps and up to 25Gbps capacity
SFP module with DDM / DOM Feature
What does the DDM do exactly?
DDM is capable of providing component monitoring on transceiver applications in great detail. The system that is used is an extension of the interface defined in GBIC specification (GBIC being a type of transceiver).
The interface itself is capable of generating alarms and warning flags which alert the host system when operating parameters fall outside of a set of ‘normal operating’ rules. This allows the end user to isolate faults and predict failure.
What is DOM?
DOM or Digital Optical Monitoring is used to monitor certain parameters of an optical transceiver in real-time. This helps operators to identify the location of a fiber link failure which in turn helps to simplify the maintenance process and improve overall system reliability.
DOM gives you the ability to monitor the transmit and receive power of the optical transceiver module, its temperature and supply voltage. Each system can be configured to monitor transceivers that are in operation either globally or by specific port.
With DOM console message and syslog messages are sent if operation falls below or rise above the specific transceivers manufacturer thresholds.
Most modern transceivers support DOM functions.
Schematic diagram of Optical SFP/SFP+ module with DDM / DOM features available on the (0) (1) and (2) pins
Find out more about the 802.11 Wi-Fi Physical Layer
This helpful poster created by Tektronix (R) explains key parameters in the WiFi Physical layer, including 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac.
WiFi Physical Layer Explained
A download link to the document in PDF format is here:
Under its naming convention, the WiFi alliance calls 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. 802.11ac is now WiFi 5, and 802.11n is WiFi 4. The idea, according to the WiFi Alliance, is to make matching endpoint and router capabilities a simpler matter for the rank-and-file user of WiFi technology.
Meanwhile it’s important to know that the Wi-Fi Alliance has not made up simpler names for all the 802.11 standards, so it’s important to be familiar with the traditional designations. Also, the IEEE, which continues to work on newer versions of 802.11, has not adopted these new names, so trying to track down details about them using the new names will make the task more complicated.
802.11b
Released in September 1999, it’s most likely that your first home router was 802.11b, which operates in the 2.4GHz frequency and provides a data rate up to 11 Mbps. Interestingly, 802.11a products hit the market before 802.11a, which was approved at the same time but didn’t hit the market until later.
802.11a
The first following the June 1997 approval of the 802.11 standard, this standard provided operation in the 5GHz frequency, with data rates up to 54Mbps. Counterintuitively, 802.11a came out later than 802.11b, causing some confusion in the marketplace because customers expected that the standard with the “b” at the end would be backward compatible with the one with the “a” at the end.
802.11g
Approved in June 2003, 802.11g is the successor to 802.11b, able to achieve up to 54Mbps rates in the 2.4GHz band, matching 802.11a speed but within the lower frequency range.
802.11n (WiFi 4)
The first WiFi standard to specify MIMO, 802.11n was approved in October 2009 and allows for usage in two frequencies – 2.4GHz and 5GHz, with speeds up to 600Mbps. When you hear the term “dual-band”, it refers to being able to deliver data across these two frequencies.
802.11ac (WiFi 5)
802.1ac-compliant devices operate in the 5 GHz frequency space. With Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) – multiple antennas on sending and receiving devices to reduce error and boost speed – this standard supports data rates up to 3.46Gbps. Some router vendors include technologies that support the 2.4GHz frequency via 802.11n, providing support for older client devices that may have 802.11b/g/n radios, but also providing additional bandwidth for improved data rates.
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Also called High Efficiency WLAN, 802.11ax aims to improve the performance in WLAN deployments in dense scenarios, such as sports stadiums and airports, while still operating in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum. The group is targeting at least a 4X improvement in throughput compared to 802.11n and 802.11ac., through more efficient spectrum utilization.
60GHz (V-Band) is now becoming a popular frequency band in wireless world, with both short-range and wider area applications ahead for the tiny beams of this unlicensed millimeter radio technology.
The frequency — part of the V-Band frequencies — is considered among the millimeter radio (mmWave) bands. Millimeter wave radios operate using frequencies from 30GHz to 300GHz. Until recently, 60GHz has typically been used for military communications as well as some commercial applications.
Major technology vendors show growing interest in the technology and the associated patents. Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) bought Wilocity recently to combine 60GHz WiGig technology with WiFi. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) bought Alpental, a startup that, according to one of its founders, is using 60GHz to develop a “hyper scalable mmWave networking solution for dense urban nextGen 5G & WiFi.”
Why 60GHz, and why now? Here are a few reasons the market is expanding:
Drivers
WiGig:
A short-range wireless specification — using the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) 802.11ad specification — that can link devices at up to 7 Gbit/s over a distance of up to 12 meters. That’s 10 times faster than the current 802.11n WiFi, though with less range. This makes the technology ideal for wirelessly delivering high-definition video in the home. The Wi-Fi Alliance is expecting WiGig-certified products to arrive in 2015. (See Wi-Fi Alliance, WiGig Align to Make WiFi Super Fast.)
Wireless backhaul:
Particularly for small cells, operators can use the 60GHz radios to connect small cells to a fiber hub. (See More Startups Target Small-Cell Backhaul.)
Wireless bridges:
These are useful for providing extra capacity at events, ad-hoc networks, and private high-speed enterprise links. (See Pushing 60.)
Wireless video: Some startups have jumped the gun on the WiGig standard and plowed ahead with their own 60GHz video connectivity using the Sony-backed WirelessHD standard.
Why 60GHz?
A global unlicensed band exists at 57-64GHz. It is largely uncongested compared to the 2.5GHz and 5GHz public bands currently used for WiFi. (See FCC to Enable Fast Streaming With New 60GHz Rules.)
There’s also a lot of it. “The 60 GHz band boasts a wide spectrum of up to 9GHz that is typically divided into channels of roughly 2GHz each,” Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC)’s LL Yang wrote in an article on the prospects for the wide-area and short-range use of the technology. Spectrum availability is “unmatched” by any of the lower-frequency bands.
The spectrum is now open and approved for use across much of the world. This includes the US, Europe, and much of Asia, including China.
As we’ve already seen, 60GHz technology is expected to offer blazing wireless transmission speeds.
Issues with 60GHz
No technology is ever perfect, right?
Transmissions at 60GHz have less range for a given transmit power than 5GHz WiFi, because of path loss as the electromagnetic wave moves through the air, and 60GHz transmissions can struggle to penetrate walls. There is also a substantial RF oxygen absorption peak in the 60GHz band, which gets more pronounced at ranges beyond 100 meters, as Agilent notes in a paper on the technology. Using a high-gain adaptive antenna array can help make up for some of these issues with using 60GHz for wider area applications.
Some vendors have also argued that there are potential advantages for the technology over omnidirectional systems. “The combined effects of O2 absorption and narrow beam spread result in high security, high frequency re-use, and low interference for 60GHz links,” one vendor notes
Corporate LAN connections in London using CableFree E-band MMW Radios
CableFree 1Gbps E-band MMW radios have been deployed for corporate customers above the busy streets of London as a high speed and cost-effective alternative to Fibre Optic Leased Lines.
CableFree E-Band MMW Link Installed in London in 2018
The links carry full-speed LAN traffic for a major customer as an alternative to Fibre Optics.
Major Benefits of Wireless 1Gbps MMW Links
Compared to Leased Lines and Fibre Optics, wireless E-band links offer many benefits including:
Immediate availability: no waiting for digging, trenches or wayleaves
Fast to install: typically 3 hours to complete
One-off cost for asset purchase: No ongoing lease for service
Low-cost “Light License” at only GBP 50 per year (USD 75 in USA) protects “first use” of spectrum
Designed & Proven to be highly reliable in all conditions
Portable Asset: can be moved to other sites when needed
No disruption to link caused by digging or 3rd party maintenance work
Easy to maintain: just one box either end of link, fully manageable
Free Link Design and Consultancy Service
Our team offer a Free Link Design service direct from ourselves – the vendor – to verify reliable operation before purchase and deployment. Based on 22 years experience of Broadband Fixed Wireless equipment design and installation, the experience of our Wireless team is unparalleled.
Available and Shipping
CableFree E-Band MMW Links are available today with up to 10Gbps per radio aggregating to 40Gbps full duplex capacity.
Lightpointe have announced by partners by email that they are discontinuing their entire range of FSO links. This strategic move by Lightpointe away from FSO (Free Space Optical) technology means many FSO users will have to look for alternatives.
Many users own FSO links including Lightpointe which are old and sometimes problematic. Often, users require higher reliability, uptime, capacity or distance than their older FSO laser links can provide.
The Need for Reliability and High Availability
Modern IP networks demand higher capacity and uptime, and as FSO links are installed outdoors often in harsh conditions where they age faster than indoor mounted IT equipment such as switches and routers, which are installed in nice airconditioned environments. Modern Carrier Class wireless equipment is designed for all-outdoor use including harsh environments and can ensure ultra-high availability and reliability in practical use.
Alternatives to Lightpointe and FSO
There are many alternatives available including Carrier Class FSO from other vendors, MMW links with 10Gbps+ capacity, Microwave links and MIMO radio. These have different characteristics, capabilities and price points. Modern links can offer up to 40Gbps capacity and for low-end solutions, MIMO radios at lower price points than FSO for sites where budgets are tight.
If the customer requires a direct replacement FSO link, there are relatively few FSO vendors currently available with reliable shipping products.
Other FSO vendors currently offering carrier grade FSO:
Lightpointe – FSO Laser Links – Free Space Optic laser links – Manufacturer information
Established in 1998, Lightpointe provides optical communications at the speed of light which operate license-free. With products capable of sending up to 1 Gbps full duplex of data, Lightpointe offers reliable, fibre-optic connections without the need for expensive physical fibre.
Lightpointe – Manufacturer information
Lightpointe (based in USA) is a Manufacturer of FSO bridges
Built for line of site (LOS) with ranges suitable up to 2km
Ultra secure connections using narrow beams of light are secure from RF packet sniffers
Reliable availability with five nines availability
Licence free operation using FSO technology
Upgrading from Lightpointe AireBridge LX Quad Beam Laser Link
Lightpointe state that AireBridge LX models are the most advanced laser bridges in the industry, backed by patented technology refined over 5 product generations. For customers wanting the absolute longest range and highest availability, the LX is the answer. Your data will fly between buildings on 8 beams of overlapping invisible laser light, all transmitting simultaneously (4 transmission beams and 4 receiving beams at each side of the link).
Quad Beam
Tracking
Autopower
250 Mbps full duplex
RJ45, PoE
Recommended for distances up to 1600 meters
Upgrading from Lightpointe AireBridge SX Single Beam, Wireless Bridge
Lightpointe state that the LightPointe AireBridge SX Single Beam, Wireless Bridge offers highly competitive pricing and extreme value for distances up to 750 meters. Utilizing an advanced single laser and “Avalanche Photo Diode” (APD), these bridges transmit and receive data simultaneously for full duplex connectivity. Each side of the link can be ordered in a 250 Mbps, 500 Mbps, or 1,000 Mbps configuration and can be upgraded later via software keys.
AireBridge System
Single Beam 250 Mbps full duplex
PoE Power
Recommended for 200 – 600 meters
Upgrading from a Lightpointe AireLite G (500m) Laser Link
Lightpointe state that the AireLite G is the latest addition to the LightPointe Optical Wireless product line and the new flagship of LightPointe’s high capacity single-beam, point-to-point Optical Wireless solutions, delivering real full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet throughput at a system latency of less than 50 microseconds. Additionally, the AireLite G offers several advanced features such as PoE operation, a web-browser-based and SNMP management, an integrated multiport Layer 2 switch fabric with multiple fiber and copper based network interface options, an integrated built-in alignment telescope, and an automatic lens defroster, just to mention a few. All features are designed within a compact, lightweight, fully outdoor rated and energy efficient package.
High Speed Connection Real full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet throughput.
Ultra Low Latency Fiber-like system latency (typically less than 50 microseconds)
Operating Distance Recommended operational distance up to 500 meters
Secure Operation Highest level of physical transmission security due to narrow angle transmission beam.
Gigabit Wireless Technologies
Disclaimer
The technical specifications listed above are those advertised by the manufacturer. No warranty is made to the accuracy of this information, which may vary widely in practical installations. Many vendors are known to exaggerate or mis-state the capability of the equipment which they offer.
For More Information on Wireless Upgrades
If you would like more information on upgrading a Lightpointe FSO wireless solutions please Contact Us and our experienced team of wireless experts will be delighted to assist.
Many users own FSO links including Geodesy / LaserBit which are old and sometimes problematic. Often, users require higher reliability, uptime, capacity or distance than their older FSO laser links can provide.
The Need for Reliability and High Availability
Modern IP networks demand higher capacity and uptime, and as FSO links are installed outdoors often in harsh conditions where they age faster than indoor mounted IT equipment such as switches and routers, which are installed in nice airconditioned environments. Modern Carrier Class wireless equipment is designed for all-outdoor use including harsh environments and can ensure ultra-high availability and reliability in practical use.
Alternatives to Geodesy and FSO
There are many alternatives available including Carrier Class FSO from other vendors, MMW links with 10Gbps+ capacity, Microwave links and MIMO radio. These have different characteristics, capabilities and price points. Modern links can offer up to 40Gbps capacity and for low-end solutions, MIMO radios at lower price points than FSO for sites where budgets are tight.
If the customer requires a direct replacement FSO link, there are relatively few FSO vendors currently available with reliable shipping products.
Other FSO vendors currently offering carrier grade FSO:
Geodesy – LaserBit – FSO Laser Links – Free Space Optic laser links – Manufacturer information
Established in 1996, Geodesy (formerly LaserBit) provides optical communications at the speed of light which operate license-free. With products capable of sending up to 1 Gbps full duplex of data, GeoDesy offers reliable, fibre-optic connections without the need for expensive physical fibre.
GeoDesy – LaserBit – Manufacturer information
Geodesy (formerly LaserBit in Hungary) is a Manufacturer of FSO bridges with claimed over 20,000 lasers installed
Geodesy claim 15 years experience of building wireless bridges
Geodesy claim Risk free 100% satisfaction guarantee on all laser products
Affordable solutions costing from £2,995 installed
Built for line of site (LOS) with ranges suitable up to 5km
Ultra secure connections using narrow beams of light are secure from RF packet sniffers
Reliable availability with five nines availability
Licence free operation using FSO technology
Upgrading from GeoDesy FSO AT Series
Geodesy state that the Auto tracking series is a 8th generation series that maintains precise beam alignment, even when environmental factors cause movement to the device. The AT series is also the most recommended solution from the GeoDesy range.
Beam Tracking System
Gigabit Ethernet connectivity up to 2500m
Full duplex connectivity
Secure and error free data transmission
Built-in automatic failover
License free operation
Upgrading from GeoDesy FSO AF Series
Geodesy state that the AF series is a 5th generation build, offering laser transmission using a unique modulation technique that ensures error free data transfer over distances up to 1000 meters.
Point to point communications up to 1 Gbps
Wireless Ethernet range up to 1000m
Error free data transfer
Secure data transmission
Built-in automatic failover
99.999% availability
Upgrading from a GeoDesy FSO PX Series
Geodesy state that the PX 5th generation series offers speeds from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps and ranges of connectivity up to 5000 meters, and suited for installations to solid structured buildings on budget constrained projects.
Point to point communications up to 1 Gbps
Wireless Ethernet range up to 5000m
Full duplex connectivity
Secure data transmission
Built-in automatic failover
Licence free operation
Gigabit Wireless Technologies
Disclaimer
The technical specifications listed above are those advertised by the manufacturer. No warranty is made to the accuracy of this information, which may vary widely in practical installations. Many vendors are known to exaggerate or mis-state the capability of the equipment which they offer.
For More Information on Wireless Upgrades
If you would like more information on upgrading a GeoDesy AT/AF/PX wireless solutions please Contact Us and our experienced team of wireless experts will be delighted to assist.
Gigabit Wireless Links using V-Band 60GHz Millimeter Wave MMW Technology
So-called “V-Band” refers to high frequency microwave signals in the Millimeter Wave radio bands which enable high capacity wireless communications. The band is useful for moderate distances up to around 1km with clear “line of sight”, and for short-range mobile devices. In many countries, V-band is “Unlicensed” (license free) which encourages widespread use.
What is 60GHz V-band technology?
The V band (“vee-band”) is a standard designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for a band of frequencies in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging from 40 to 75 gigahertz (GHz).The V band is not heavily used, except for millimeter wave radar research and other kinds of scientific research. It should not be confused with the 600–1000 MHz range of Band-V (band-five) of the UHF frequency range.
CableFree V-Band 60GHz MMW Link with High Gain parabolic antenna
The V band is also used for high capacity terrestrial millimeter wave communications systems. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission has allocated the frequency band from 57 to 71 GHz for unlicensed wireless systems. These systems are primarily used for high capacity, short distance (less than 1 mile) communications. In addition, frequencies at 70, 80, and 90 GHz have been allocated as “lightly licensed” bands for multi-gigabit wireless communications. All communications links in the V band require unobstructed line of sight between the transmit and receive point, and rain fade must be taken into account when performing link budget analysis.
Applications for 60GHz V-band
Very short range Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi standard IEEE 802.11ad utilizes the 60 GHz (EHF microwave) spectrum with data transfer rates of up to 7 Gbit/s for very short ranges of up to 10 metres (33 ft). Also the newer IEEE 802.11ay uses the same band. Where 802.11ad uses a maximum of 2.16 GHz bandwidth, 802.11ay bonds four of those channels together for a maximum bandwidth of 8.64 GHz. MIMO is also added with a maximum of 4 streams. The link-rate per stream is 44Gbit/s, with four streams this goes up to 176Gbit/s. Higher order modulation is also added, probably up to 256-QAM.
Mobile backhaul
As mobile operators need more and more bandwidth, they are turning to new frequency bands to lower their wireless backhaul costs. Both license-exempt V band spectrum (57-71 GHz) and E band spectrum (71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz and 92-95 GHz) have clear technological and economic advantages. The 27 GHz allocated in these bands allows multi-Gigabit per second capacities far exceeding the 6-38 GHz bandwidth-limited frequencies.
In the V band and E band spectrum, wireless systems can utilize the significantly larger allocated spectrum and channels to deliver multi-Gigabit data rates. This enables a simple, robust, and low cost modem and radio design. Thus, V-Band and E-Band, millimeter-wave wireless systems provide significant cost advantages over 6-38 GHz wireless systems – allowing scaling capacity to Gigabit capacities, without additional radio equipment and licensing fees.
Wireless broadband
Internet service providers are looking for ways to expand gigabit high-speed services to their customers. These can be achieved through fiber to the premises broadband network architecture, or a more affordable alternative using fixed wireless in the last mile in combination with the fiber networks in the middle mile in order to reduce the costs of trenching fiber optic cables to the users. In the United States, V band is unlicensed. This makes V band an appealing choice to be used as fixed wireless access for gigabit services to connect to homes and businesses.
Satellite constellations
As of March 2017, several US companies—Boeing, SpaceX, OneWeb, Telesat, O3b Networks and Theia Holdings—have each filed with the US regulatory authorities “plans to field constellations of V-band satellites in non-geosynchronous orbits to provide communications services,” an electromagnetic spectrum that had not previously been “heavily employed for commercial communications services.”
V-Band Regulations and Licensing
In many countries, V-band is “Unlicensed” (license free) which encourages widespread use. A few countries retain 60GHz for licensed or defence applications. The specific frequencies which are allowed to be used can vary between different countries.
