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.
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.
A new standard for 60GHz Wi-Fi goes beyond 802.11ad wireless speed & range
A new standard for high speed multi-gigabit WiFi is emerging. Though products based on the IEEE 802.11ad (WiGig) standard have really only begun rolling out, an effort to deliver an enhancement called IEEE 802.11ay that promises to deliver faster and longer range Wi-Fi networks is gaining steam.
The up-coming 802.11ay is as an enhancement of 802.11ad in the unlicensed 60 GHz millimeter wave band of spectrum, and should be a natural upgrade. The upgrade will offer significant speed and range improvements.
CableFree WiFi Logo
Technical Summary
802.11ay is a type of WLAN in the IEEE 802.11 set of WLANs. It will have a frequency of 60 GHz, a transmission rate of 20–40 Gbit/s and an extended transmission distance of 300–500 meters. It has also been noted that it is likely to have mechanisms for channel bonding and MU-MIMO technologies. It is expected to be released in 2017. 802.11ay will not be a new type of WLAN in the IEEE 802.11 set, but will simply be an improvement on 802.11ad.
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. 802.11ay applications could include replacement for Ethernet and other cables within offices or homes, and provide backhaul connectivity outside for service providers.
What is the difference between ad and ay?
The 802.11ad standard was published in 2012 and the technology gives devices access to the unlicensed and relatively unclogged 60 GHz millimeter wave spectrum band for multimedia streaming, VR headset connectivity, computer-to-monitor wireless links and other apps that don’t require more than say 30 or 40 feet of unimpeded space. It has been adopted by chipmakers as well as vendors of routers, access points and other devices. The Wi-Fi Alliance runs a WiGig certification program for vendors, and the early 11ad gear on the market most commonly supports data transfer rates of 4.6Gbps – way faster than 802.11n and 11ac, but more limited in range and unable to penetrate solid objects.
The backwards compatible 802.11ay amendment to 802.11ad is designed to boost speeds several-fold. That initially would amount to a transmission rate of 20 to 30Gbps and a range of 33 to 100 feet with 11ay-to-11ay device setups, but once channel bonding, MIMO and other capabilities are exploited, you could be getting closer to 200Gbps and reaching distances approaching 1,000 feet, according to industry players.
11ay, as the specs are being developed, “is really allowing for a wider range of products than you’d get with ad, which has one set of data rates that everyone supports… ay has a lot more parameters to play with in channel bonding, MIMO and features at the MAC level to allow a far greater range of performance and products” according to one chipset vendor.
Other up-coming Fast WiFi standards: 802.11ax
IEEE 802.11ay 60GHz networking
Users should not confuse 802.11ay with 802.11ax, which will work in the 2.5 and 5 GHz bands. The lower frequency bands for 11ax will penetrate walls. 11ay will not.
What will 802.11ay be used for?
It remains to be seen how soon the high speeds of 11ay will really be needed for internal uses, as 802.11ac — including Wave 2 products — are already pretty robust. But experts say that if 11ad doesn’t quite do it for you given its distance limitations, “11ay will finally be the technology that would let you snip that Ethernet cord – you no longer have to run Ethernet cables to everyone’s desk… there’s enough wireless bandwidth in ay.”
Many are enthusiastic about 802.1ay’s potential as a fixed point-to-point or point-to-multipoint outdoor backhaul technology, especially in light of scaled back fiber rollout plans by providers like Google and Verizon in the face of extraordinary costs associated with such implementations. “I’m more bullish on using ad & ay for backhaul (instead of mesh) in the case of campus & city networks — provided that it has a useful range” according to one industry expert
But it’s possible that 802.11ay could find a role in internal mesh and backbone networks as well as for other uses such as providing connectivity to VR headsets, supporting server backups and handling cloud applications that require low latency. “I believe that eventually, there will be enterprise applications for this – but it’s probably a few years into the future, given that we will have 802.11ax fairly soon & because there’s still a lot of 5 GHz band available for that (and ac).
When will 802.11ay become reality?
The 802.11ay task group had its initial meeting in 2015 and the spec only hit the Draft 0.1 stage in January. Though it is expected to reach Draft 1.0 by July 2017, according to the IEEE task group. If that mark is hit, expect pre-standard 11ay products to start rolling out within a year of that time.
Who is behind 802.11ay?
The IEEE task force leading the 11ay work includes representatives from major equipment and chipsets vendors. The group states its goal as this: “Task Group ay is expected to develop an amendment that defines standardized modifications to both the IEEE 802.11 physical layers (PHY) and the IEEE 802,11 medium access control layer (MAC) that enables at least one mode of operation capable of supporting a maximum throughput of at least 20 gigabits per second (measured at the MAC data service access point), while maintaining or improving the power efficiency per station. This amendment also defines operations for license-exempt bands above 45 GHz while ensuring backward compatibility and coexistence with legacy directional multi-gigabit stations (defined by IEEE 802.11ad-2012 amendment) operating in the same band.”
The new standard 802.11ax for Wi-Fi goes beyond 802.11ac wireless
A new standard for high speed multi-gigabit WiFi is emerging. Current WiFi products use chips based on the IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.11ac standard have really only begun rolling out, an effort to deliver an enhancement called IEEE 802.11ax that promises to deliver faster and longer range Wi-Fi networks.
The up-coming 802.11ax is as an enhancement of 802.11ac in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5GHz bands of spectrum, and should be a natural upgrade. The upgrade will offer significant speed and range improvements.
CableFree WiFi Logo
Technical Summary
IEEE 802.11 ax is a type of WLAN in the IEEE 802.11 set of types of WLANs. It is designed to improve overall spectral efficiency especially in dense deployment scenarios. It is still in a very early stage of development, but is predicted to have a top speed of around 10 Gb/s, it works in 2.4 and/or 5 GHz, in addition to MIMO and MU-MIMO it introduces OFDMA technique to improve spectral efficiency and also higher order 1024 QAM modulation support for better throughputs. Though the nominal data rate is just 37% higher comparing with 802.11ac, the new amendment will allow achieving 4X increase of user throughput thanks to more efficient spectrum usage. It is due to be publicly released in 2019.
Modulation and coding schemes for single spatial stream
MCS
index
Modulation
type
Coding
rate
Data rate (in Mb/s)
20 MHz channels
40 MHz channels
80 MHz channels
160 MHz channels
1600 ns GI
800 ns GI
1600 ns GI
800 ns GI
1600 ns GI
800 ns GI
1600 ns GI
800 ns GI
0
BPSK
1/2
4
4
8
9
17
18
34
36
1
QPSK
1/2
16
17
33
34
68
72
136
144
2
QPSK
3/4
24
26
49
52
102
108
204
216
3
16-QAM
1/2
33
34
65
69
136
144
272
282
4
16-QAM
3/4
49
52
98
103
204
216
408
432
5
64-QAM
2/3
65
69
130
138
272
288
544
576
6
64-QAM
3/4
73
77
146
155
306
324
613
649
7
64-QAM
5/6
81
86
163
172
340
360
681
721
8
256-QAM
3/4
98
103
195
207
408
432
817
865
9
256-QAM
5/6
108
115
217
229
453
480
907
961
10
1024-QAM
3/4
122
129
244
258
510
540
1021
1081
11
1024-QAM
5/6
135
143
271
287
567
600
1134
1201
Technical improvements
The 802.11ax amendment will bring several key improvements over 802.11ac. 802.11ax addresses frequency bands between 1 GHz and 6 GHz. Therefore, unlike 802.11ac, 802.11ax will also operate in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band. To meet the goal of supporting dense 802.11 deployments the following features have been approved.
Other up-coming Fast WiFi standards: 802.11ay
IEEE 802.11ax Wireless Networking
Users should not confuse 802.11ax with 802.11ay, which will work in the 60GHz bands. The lower frequency bands 1-6GHz for 11ax will penetrate walls. 11ay will not.
What will 802.11ax be used for?
802.11ax is an upgrade for existing 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n and 802.11ac networks, Many are enthusiastic about 802.1ax’s potential as a fixed point-to-point or point-to-multipoint outdoor backhaul technology, especially in light of scaled back fiber rollout plans by providers like Google and Verizon in the face of extraordinary costs associated with such implementations. Therefore 11ax will find applications outdoors as well as indoors.
Who is behind 802.11ax?
The IEEE task force leading the 11ax work includes representatives from major equipment and chipsets vendors.
In 2012 and 2013, IEEE 802.11 received various submissions in its Standing Committee (SC) Wireless Next Generation (WNG) looking at issues of IEEE 802.11ac and potential solutions for future WLANs. Immediately after the publication of IEEE 802.11ac in March 2013, the IEEE 802.11 Working Group (WG) established Study Group (SG) High Efficiency WLAN (HEW)
5G radio access technology will be a key component of the Networked Society. It will address high traffic growth and increasing demand for high-bandwidth connectivity. It will also support massive numbers of connected devices and meet the real-time, high-reliability communication needs of mission-critical applications. 5G will provide wireless connectivity for a wide range of new applications and use cases, including wearables, smart homes, traffic safety/control, critical infrastructure, industry processes and very-high-speed media delivery. As a result, it will also accelerate the development of the Internet of Things. ITU Members including key industry players, industry forums, national and regional standards development organizations, regulators, network operators, equipment manufacturers as well as academia and research institutions together with Member States, gathered as the working group responsible for IMT systems, and completed a cycle of studies on the key performance requirements of 5G technologies for IMT-2020.
The Aim of 5G
The overall aim of 5G is to provide ubiquitous connectivity for any kind of device and any kind of application that may benefit from being connected. 5G networks will not be based on one specific radio-access technology. Rather, 5G is a portfolio of access and connectivity solutions addressing the demands and requirements of mobile communication beyond 2020.
CableFree 5G Technology
The specification of 5G will include the development of a new flexible air interface, NX, which will be directed to extreme mobile broadband deployments. NX will also target high-bandwidth and high-traffic-usage scenarios, as well as new scenarios that involve mission-critical and realtime communications with extreme requirements in terms of latency and reliability.
In parallel, the development of Narrow-Band IoT (NB-IoT) in 3GPP is expected to support massive machine connectivity in wide area applications. NB-IoT will most likely be deployed in bands below 2GHz and will provide high capacity and deep coverage for enormous numbers of connected devices.
Ensuring interoperability with past generations of mobile communications has been a key principle of the ICT industry since the development of GSM and later wireless technologies within the 3GPP family of standards.
4G to 5G Evolution
In a similar manner, LTE will evolve in a way that recognizes its role in providing excellent coverage for mobile users, and 5G networks will incorporate LTE access (based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)) along with new air interfaces in a transparent manner toward both the service layer and users. Around 2020, much of the available wireless coverage will continue to be provided by LTE, and it is important that operators with deployed 4G networks have the opportunity to transition some – or all – of their spectrum to newer wireless access technologies.
For operators with limited spectrum resources, the possibility of introducing 5G capabilities in an interoperable way – thereby allowing legacy devices to continue to be served on a compatible carrier – is highly beneficial and, in some cases, even vital. At the same time, the evolution of LTE to a point where it is a full member of the 5G family of air interfaces is essential, especially since initial deployment of new air interfaces may not operate in the same bands. The 5G network will enable dual-connectivity between LTE operating within bands below 6GHz and the NX air interface in bands within the range 6GHz to100GHz. NX should also allow for user-plane aggregation, i.e. joint delivery of data via LTE and NX component carriers. This paper explains the key requirements and capabilities of 5G, along with its technology components and spectrum needs.
In order to enable connectivity for a very wide range of applications with new characteristics and requirements, the capabilities of 5G wireless access must extend far beyond those of previous generations of mobile communication. These capabilities will include massive system capacity, very high data rates everywhere, very low latency, ultra-high reliability and availability, very low device cost and energy consumption, and energy-efficient networks.
MASSIVE SYSTEM CAPACITY
Traffic demands for mobile-communication systems are predicted to increase dramatically. To support this traffic in an affordable way, 5G networks must deliver data with much lower cost per bit compared with the networks of today. Furthermore, the increase in data consumption will result in an increased energy footprint from networks. 5G must therefore consume significantly lower energy per delivered bit than current cellular networks. The exponential increase in connected devices, such as the deployment of billions of wirelessly connected sensors, actuators and similar devices for massive machine connectivity, will place demands on the network to support new paradigms in device and connectivity management that do not compromise security. Each device will generate or consume very small amounts of data, to the extent that they will individually, or even jointly, have limited impact on the overall traffic volume. However, the sheer number of connected devices seriously challenges the ability of the network to provision signaling and manage connections.
VERY HIGH DATA RATES EVERYWHERE
LTE Roadmap 4G to 5G
Every generation of mobile communication has been associated with higher data rates compared with the previous generation. In the past, much of the focus has been on the peak data rate that can be supported by a wireless-access technology under ideal conditions. However, a more important capability is the data rate that can actually be provided under real-life conditions in different scenarios.
5G should support data rates exceeding 10Gbps in specific scenarios such as indoor and dense outdoor environments.
Data rates of several 100Mbps should generally be achievable in urban and suburban environments.
Data rates of at least 10Mbps should be accessible almost everywhere, including sparsely populated rural areas in both developed and developing countries.
VERY LOW LATENCY
Very low latency will be driven by the need to support new applications. Some envisioned 5G use cases, such as traffic safety and control of critical infrastructure and industry processes, may require much lower latency compared with what is possible with the mobile-communication systems of today. To support such latency-critical applications, 5G should allow for an application end-to-end latency of 1ms or less, although application-level framing requirements and codec limitations for media may lead to higher latencies in practice. Many services will distribute computational capacity and storage close to the air interface. This will create new capabilities for real-time communication and will allow ultra-high service reliability in a variety of scenarios, ranging from entertainment to industrial process control.
ULTRA-HIGH RELIABILITY AND AVAILABILITY
5G Wireless Technologies
In addition to very low latency, 5G should also enable connectivity with ultra-high reliability and ultra-high availability. For critical services, such as control of critical infrastructure and traffic safety, connectivity with certain characteristics, such as a specific maximum latency, should not merely be ‘typically available.’ Rather, loss of connectivity and deviation from quality of service requirements must be extremely rare. For example, some industrial applications might need to guarantee successful packet delivery within 1 ms with a probability higher than 99.9999 percent.
VERY LOW DEVICE COST AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Low-cost, low-energy mobile devices have been a key market requirement since the early days of mobile communication. However, to enable the vision of billions of wirelessly connected sensors, actuators and similar devices, a further step has to be taken in terms of device cost and energy consumption. It should be possible for 5G devices to be available at very low cost and with a battery life of several years without recharging.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT NETWORKS
While device energy consumption has always been prioritized, energy efficiency on the network side has recently emerged as an additional KPI, for three main reasons:
Energy efficiency is an important component in reducing operational cost, as well as a driver for better dimensioned nodes, leading to lower total cost of ownership.
Energy efficiency enables off-grid network deployments that rely on medium-sized solar panels as power supplies, thereby enabling wireless connectivity to reach even the most remote areas.
Energy efficiency is essential to realizing operators’ ambition of providing wireless access in a sustainable and more resource-efficient way.
The importance of these factors will increase further in the 5G era, and energy efficiency will therefore be an important requirement in the design of 5G wireless access.
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Please Contact Us for more information on 5G and IMT-2020
Two questions: “Do I need Gigabit LTE?” and “Will mobile networks support these new speeds?” The short answer to both is a resounding “Yes.”
Do I need Gigabit LTE?
There’s a common misconception that we need to address right away. Some people think that extreme speeds are only realized in ideal lab conditions, so they’re not relevant in the real world. Their argument is that current LTE devices and networks already support peak speeds of 300 Mbps or 600 Mbps, but actual speeds are lower. It follows, then, that there’s already “enough headroom” in the networks and thus the faster speeds are irrelevant.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Here’s the thing. Gigabit LTE — and every other LTE innovation we’ve helped commercialize in the past few years — directly contributes to improving the real-world speeds that you’ll experience.
Gigabit LTE provides more consistent Internet speeds as compared to previous generations of LTE. In an extensive network simulation conducted by Qualcomm Technologies, we placed LTE devices of varying capabilities from Cat 4 to Cat 16 (the Gigabit LTE category) in the same network. The average throughput achieved by a GB LTE device was comfortably above 100 Mbps. Depending on traffic type, the average throughput could be much higher. That’s compared to around 65 Mbps for Cat 6 devices, the current baseline for many LTE devices and networks.
And these simulation results bear out in the real world. At the Sydney event, one analyst who tried the first Gigabit LTE device, reached 360 Mbps in a speed test. A real device on a live network in the middle of a very crowded tourist area — that’s the power of Gigabit LTE.
The constituent technologies that make Gigabit LTE possible — carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO, and 256-QAM — are engineered to allow the network to allocate many more network resources to your device simultaneously than you would get with an older LTE device. Or, alternatively, allocate fewer resources to you without diminishing the speed.
There’s an additional benefit as well. A Gigabit LTE device has four antennas in order to support 4×4 MIMO, giving it a hidden edge. In good signal conditions, you can get four streams of data that increase your speed, as compared to two streams with conventional LTE. In weak signal conditions, the additional antennas act like additional “ears” that are designed to help your Gigabit LTE device lock on to the signal from the tower, which can yield up to 70 percent faster speeds. Think about how slow LTE speeds can get in weak signal conditions. Wouldn’t this speed bump help quite a bit? A real-world study of this on T-Mobile’s network – using the Samsung Galaxy S7, which is capable of 4×4 MIMO – confirms this.
Additionally, with Gigabit LTE devices, you should be able to finish your downloads much faster, with fewer resources from the network. This can improve the capacity of the network and allow it to serve other users sooner. Not only do you enjoy faster speeds, but other people connected to the same cell tower get faster speeds as well, even if they don’t have a Gigabit LTE device.
So yes, you do need Gigabit LTE. It can improve your average, real-world speeds, give you better speeds in weak signal conditions, and allow other people to enjoy faster speeds too.
Will mobile networks support these new speeds?
Here, again, the answer is “Yes.”
Fifteen mobile operators in 11 countries intend to launch or trial Gigabit LTE in 2017. They include: T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T in the U.S.; EE, T-Mobile Germany, Vodafone, and Telefonica in Europe; and NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank, KDDI, and SingTel in Asia.
And, of course, Telstra’s Gigabit LTE network is already live. We expect many more to come online over the next few years. It’s important to remember that many people are hanging on to their devices for longer. So even if on day one your network doesn’t support GB LTE, there’s a good chance it may over the lifetime of your phone.
2017 will be the year of Gigabit LTE. And with the right device, power users can enjoy next-gen experiences sooner than we expected.
CableFree 10Gbps MMW links have been installed for Safe City applications
Using the latest 10Gbps Millimeter Wave wireless technology, the links connect Safe City customer sites with a full 10Gbps (10Gig-E) full duplex capacity, with no compression or slow-down.
10Gbps MMW Links installed for Safe City Applications
CableFree has pioneered high speed 10 Gigabit Millimeter Wave (MMW) technology to connect sites where fibre optics are unavailable, too slow to provision, too expensive or at risk of damage. In busy cities, fibre optics is usually installed in ducts underground which are prone to disruption when digging or building works take place.
This client had already installed fibre optics for major CCTV backbones around the city. However, 3rd party building works disrupted the ducts severing the fibres, causing major outage in the network and loss of CCTV coverage – putting citizens at risk.
10Gbps MMW Links installed for Safe City Applications
CableFree 10Gbps Millimeter Wave links offer an ideal alternative to fragile fibre optics: the radio units are installed on sites owned by the customer, bringing the full network under user control and management. The units are typically mounted on building rooftops well away from street-level disruption, which are easy to access, secure and defend. MMW wireless links can be installed in hours, not weeks, and at a tiny fraction of the cost of trenches and ducts for fibre optics.
Reliable operating distances of 5-8km depending on climatic region are ideal for city-scale networks. A full range of planning tools allows users to predict performance prior to purchase or installation. The E-band (70-80GHz) frequencies are available in many countries with “light license” and are uncongested, with narrow “pencil beams” allowing dense re-use of the spectrum with no interference between links or users. The narrow beams make such link are inherently secure, with proprietary signals and encoding.
ACM Automatic Coding Modulation for 10Gbps MMW Links
For long links, the Adaptive Coding and Modulation feature enables the MMW link to dynamically adjust modulation in high rainfall conditions to ensure link uptime, capacity and range are maximised. For shorter links and long links in low rainfall regions, the links retain 10Gbps at all times.
10Gbps MMW links are a movable asset: if the network requirements change, or different sites require connecting, the links can be moved to the new sites immediately, retaining all the investment in infrastructure. For Special Events and Disaster Recovery, temporary links can be deployed using generator or alternative “off grid” (Solar + Battery) power if no AC power is available on sites. The units can be mounted on tripods or stationary vehicles as required for rapid deployment.
ACM Automatic Coding Modulation for 10Gbps MMW Links
For mobile operators, advanced features such as IEEE 1588v2, SyncE and management are included which make CableFree MMW ideal for RAN backhaul for 4G & 5G networks. CableFree 10Gbps MMW is upgradable to 20Gbps and 40Gbps with “stacking” giving the very highest throughput in the wireless industry, comparable to fibre optic backbone networks.
For more information please visit the CableFree website or contact our expert team:
