The wireless backhaul company Ceragon Networks announced a major step toward its HetNet (heterogeneous networks) vision with the launch of a new generation of packet radio solutions, FibeAir IP-20C. The company is betting on potential changes in connectivity and communication over the next 12 to 24 months, creating the necessity to integrate a wide variety of technologies, and FiberAir IP-20C will enable customers to simplify their operations.
“We are looking for ways to address capacity problems in a scenario where spectrum costs are high and need to be optimized,” Ran Avital, Ceragon’s VP of strategic and product marketing, told RCR Wireless News. “The solution provides multiple capacities to the networks.”
According to Ceragon, the integrated approach will enable carriers to have a single way to organize wireless backhaul and front haul requirements into an easily deployable and maintainable network. It combines multi-core radio, 2048 QAM modulation and line-of-sight MIMO in a compact, all-outdoor design.
The solution is currently in trials with selected customers, and a general release is planned for the first quarter of 2013. Udi Gordon, EVP for corporate marketing and business development, noted that with the new product, Ceragon is aiming to support existing customers and gain new clients.
When asked about how the solution impacts company’s revenues, Gordon said it is not something that will be seen in one month. “This is a move toward software-oriented technology,” he said. “We believe it changes the way people will look at it. It is a game changer.”
Avital agreed, adding that “in two years from now all radios will be built like this.”
Aimed at meeting the demands of 4G/LTE-A networks, FibeAir IP-20C is the first implementation of Ceragon’s Holistic HetNet Hauling (3H) vision. The 3H approach combines technologies, equipment and services to address the change in mobile network paradigms, and their evolution toward data-driven, 4G/LTE-A HetNets.
Technically, FibeAir IP-20C is a microwave radio that offers mobile operators a virtual fiber solution in licensed bands. It employs a parallel radio processing engine to double the link performance, allowing FibeAir IP-20C to deliver multi-Gbps capacity on a single frequency channel.
It is built around Ceragon’s own baseband modem and RFIC technologies, the next leap in Ceragon’s Holistic HetNet Hauling (3H) vision.
Related content:
