Nokia Siemens Networks further enriches its all-IP mobile backhaul solution

Carriers can profit from more bandwidth with a new microwave radio.

Nokia Siemens Networks is introducing a microwave radio for the largely untapped �E-Band� frequencies* that are ideal for providing high-capacity mobile backhaul in dense urban areas. This new radio expands the spectrum that can be used by the company�s FlexiPacket Microwave platform, meaning that Nokia Siemens Networks becomes the only vendor to have a single mobile backhaul solution providing all-IP microwave connectivity from 6 to 80 GHz for a worldwide market.

�There are high expectations for 4G mobile networks � a peak capacity for high-mobility applications of at least 100 Mbps,� said Vesa Tykkyl�inen, head of Microwave Radio Transport at Nokia Siemens Networks. �These requirements, far beyond the current capabilities of 3G, will be first addressed by LTE and the evolving WiMAX standards. This increase in over-the-air bandwidth will drive a corresponding increase in the capacity requirements for mobile backhaul networks and will require an end-to-end all-IP microwave solution. Our the new E-Band radio helps to address this challenge.�

With the aggregation of multiple LTE base stations in dense urban areas, the backhaul traffic capacity requirements per cell site will likely exceed 500 Mb/s and even reach 1 Gb/s. Nokia Siemens Networks� new 70/80 GHz E-Band radio, which is integrated into the FlexiPacket Microwave solution, provides up to 2.5 Gbit/s of transport capacity for each GHz of radio frequency channel over a distance of 3 kilometers.

Furthermore, the licensing costs for the E-Band spectrum are typically much lower than the corresponding licenses for 6-38 GHz spectrum, with many regulators, for example in the U.S. or the U.K., looking for the �light licensing� approach.

The Nokia Siemens Networks� FlexiPacket offering addresses the whole chain in mobile networking, including radio, hub-site and network management, with carrier-grade quality of service.