Siklu Communication Ltd., a leading provider of millimeter wave systems, is in the advanced trial stage of its new EtherHaul-600T small cell backhaul system with leading mobile operators, including Vodafone Group.
As thousands of small cells are expected to be deployed in street-level, highly populated metropolitan scenarios, it is clear that providing backhaul to the small cell is a key challenge. An ultra-low-cost and small form factor backhaul solution that blends into the street level environment is a key enabler to the mass deployment of small cells. To formulate their strategy for cost-effective small cell and backhaul deployments, major mobile operators are currently conducting technology trials with Siklu.
The EtherHaul-600T is an ultra-small all-outdoor small cell backhaul system operating in the unlicensed 57-66 GHz V-band spectrum. Its design enables rapid deployment anywhere from street lamps to rooftops, as service providers boost their network capacity through small cells in dense urban environments.
Siklu’s EtherHaul-600T has undergone lab testing and outdoor performance testing with mobile operators, with the units’ performance gauged at various distances. For example, Vodafone has now deployed several EtherHaul-600T links in a U.K. city’s downtown area. The EtherHaul-600T units are deployed in a daisy chain to provide the backhaul for real-life traffic generated by small cells, monitoring the performance and availability of the links.
“What is unique about this live trial,” said Gaby Junowicz, vice president of marketing and business development for Siklu, “is that the EtherHaul-600T units are installed at street level installations, mounted on light poles. Not only are they designed to blend into the environment so they are virtually invisible, but they are also performing reliably even as the streetlight poles twist and sway in the wind.”
Siklu’s EtherHaul-600T offers ease of installation and commissioning with plug-and-play, zero-touch integration into the operator’s Self Organizing Network (SON). Leveraging Siklu’s field proven all-silicon radio technology makes it possible for the company to offer the EtherHaul-600T at a fraction of the cost of other millimeter wave solutions. The EtherHaul-600T will be commercially available later this year.
Siklu, the market leader in E-band millimeter wave systems, will be exhibiting at Mobile World Congress February 25-28 in Barcelona. Siklu will showcase both the EtherHaul-600T and its EtherHaul millimeter wave systems in Hall 5, Stand 5H70.
