APAC UTILITY MODERNIZES ​GRID, ELIMINATES NETWORK RISK

One of APAC’s largest electricity transmission operators, carrying high voltage power across more than 10,000 km of transmission lines, was running a decades-old communications backbone that had become the network's biggest liability. Every substation and switchyard on the network depended on that backbone for protection signaling, SCADA, and control systems that keep the grid safe and stable, which means there was no room for guesswork, and none for downtime. The challenge wasn't just modernizing it - it was doing so live, without ever taking mission-critical grid communications offline. 

THE CHALLENGES

High Operational Risk | Complex Migration Requirements | Limited Future Readiness | Space-Constrained Infrastructure  

Modernizing the utility's communications backbone meant confronting the reality of legacy SDH architecture, where protection traffic ran through a shared A and B path. That created a single point of failure across more than 100 radio communications sites and 1,500+ km of optical fiber, a level of risk no critical energy infrastructure operator should carry. 
Every link on that backbone also carries mission-critical traffic, including tele-protection signaling, SCADA, and substation communications, where even brief instability can mean lost visibility into a live power grid. Replacing the infrastructure meant needing to do so without ever taking any of those services offline. 

•  Existing High operational risk: The shared A/B path created operational dependencies and grid failure risk across the entire backbone.

• Complex migration requirements: A migration path was needed that would upgrade the network without impacting live grid operations, and continue support of legacy communication protocols.

• Limited future readiness: Existing infrastructure could not support long-term growth of IP traffic, advanced modulation, or future automation needs in terms of high capacity and low latency.

• Space-constrained infrastructure: Limited installation space at many sites left little room for additional equipment. 

The bottom line: Left unaddressed, these constraints meant increased risk of outages, higher maintenance costs, and a grid communications modernization effort that could stall before even starting. 

THE SOLUTION

Protected Microwave Backbone | Complete A/B Traffic Separation | Hybrid SDH + IP Support | End-to-End Delivery 

The utility’s answer was a purpose-built utility microwave backhaul upgrade. Ceragon, selected as strategic partner for the microwave renewal program, delivered a fully protected, turnkey backbone across dozens of links spanning the transmission network. At the core of the design was complete separation of A and B protection traffic, eliminating the shared dependencies that created risk in the legacy SDH network and building in maximum resilience and redundancy from the ground up. 

 Why This Solution Was Chosen: 

• Deployed Full protection architecture: Complete separation of A and B protection traffic for maximum resilience and redundancy.

• No single points of failure: A protected microwave backbone eliminating single points of failure.

• Hybrid legacy + IP support: Support for legacy SDH/TDM services alongside modern Ethernet traffic on a single network.

• Secure by design: Built-in AES-256 encryption for mission-critical communications.

• Resilient RF performance: High-power radios with enhanced reception for greater availability across a demanding geography.

• Capacity and scalability: Advanced aggregation for the capacity and efficiency headroom needed as automation and IP traffic grow. 
  

Delivering this kind of transformation across a live transmission network took more than technology. Ceragon delivered the project as a full turnkey solution, managing design, supply, installation, proof of concept, and commissioning end-to-end, beginning with network assessment and site validation to minimize deployment risk before a single link went live.

The proof-of-concept phase demonstrated interoperability with existing protection equipment and verified migration procedures before deployment into the production network.

The migration itself was phased and gradual, so continuity was maintained throughout, with zero service disruption.  

At sites where physical space was limited, Ceragon engineered a custom, removable mounting solution enabling a fully indoor deployment within the utility's existing racks, maximizing available site space without compromise. 

WHAT'S NEXT

As the utility continues to modernize its grid, the protected microwave backbone deployed through this program provides a foundation ready to support growing IP traffic, deeper automation, and future digital grid initiatives, without requiring the same level of risk or disruption that legacy migrations once demanded.