Is there anything more frustrating than trying to watch your favorite Stranger Things episodes with endless buffering, skips and ugly pixilation? Achieving data rates beyond their capacity results in dropped packets and numerous TCP retransmissions. These retransmissions can degrade your wireless link capacity by as much as 30%, and reduce your network’s ability to deliver desired quality of experience (QoE). Clearly, demand for capacity will continue to grow and your network infrastructure evolution towards 5G needs to be ready.
To maintain its leadership position in its home country, address capacity challenges and prepare for 5G, a major European mobile operator embarked on a massive backhaul infrastructure upgrade together with Ceragon.
THE CHALLENGES
Gear up for 5G by modernizing backhaul network | Achieve high throughput for excellent QoS | Minimize equipment footprint | Lower TCO
In order to deliver next-generation 5G apps and services to both consumers and enterprises with agility and scalability, a large European operator needed to modernize its infrastructure while maintaining low total cost of ownership (TCO). The service provider needed to increase significantly the capacity of its links, and looked into using E-Band technology for longer distances than for those typically used, without compromising on service availability. Replacing microwave systems to become 5G-ready by utilizing E-Band spectrum was the primary goal; moreover, the service provider also looked at viable solutions for an ad hoc increase in capacity for some major music and sporting events that they set up throughout the country every year..
THE SOLUTION
Unique all-outdoor multiband solution | High-capacity wireless backhaul | Multi-core technology | Remotely upgradable solution
To replace hundreds of existing microwave links in preparation for the unique challenges brought by 5G, the carrier heavily relied on Ceragon’s all-outdoor and multiband solutions. For its mobile site modernization, the operator implemented Ceragon’s IP-50 Platform and multiband configuration to cover longer distances. For its events scenario, on top of a multiband configuration the carrier adopted the IP-20 Platform to get the required extra capacity.
Ceragon’s all-outdoor wireless backhaul solution enabled the operator to:
- Benefit from an ad hoc increase in capacity for major local events – from 300Mbps- 400Mbps to 1Gbps on traditional 18GHz links, and up to 2.5Gbps on 80GHz E-Band links
- Increase mobile sites capacity from current 1Gbps to 3Gbps and 5Gbps respectively with E-Band radio running in the 80GHz spectrum
- Increase mobile site capacities from current 1Gbps to 2Gbps by leveraging Ceragon’s multicore radio units
- Provide aggregated mobile site capacities of up to 10Gbps and high availability by leveraging multiband 3+0 configuration in the 18GHz and 80GHz frequency bands
- Save on tower load and shelter requirements by implementing multiband 3+0 configuration with only 2 outdoor units
- Benefit from its small footprint and significantly reduce installation and warehousing costs
- Reduce power consumption by 70% and increase power efficiency, since the lack of an indoor unit eliminates the need for an air-conditioning system and its power consumption
- Provide its customers with the highest level of service availability on the market
- Lower TCO, which was identified as a critical requirement for successful project completion
The evolution towards 5G involves higher capacity, denser network grid, new frequency bands and new technologies. By teaming up with Ceragon, the large European mobile operator could modernize its infrastructure to become 5G-ready and accelerate time to market for new services.
To learn more, download Ceragon's IP-50 Platform brochure
