Siklu’s Small-cell Backhaul System in Advanced Trials

March 8, 2013

Siklu Communication is in the advanced trial stage of its EtherHaul-600T small-cell backhaul system with leading mobile operators, including Vodafone Group.

Thousands of small cells are expected to be deployed in street-level, highly populated metropolitan scenarios, and it’s clear that providing backhaul to the small cell is a key challenge. An ultralow-cost and small form factor backhaul solution that blends into the street-level environment will be a key enabler to the mass deployment of small cells. Major mobile operators are currently conducting technology trials with Siklu to formulate their strategy for cost-effective small-cell and backhaul deployments.

The EtherHaul-600T is an ultrasmall all-outdoor small-cell backhaul system that operates in the unlicensed 57-GHz to 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 small-cell backhaul system has undergone lab testing and outdoor performance testing with mobile operators, with the units’ performance gauged at various distances. For example, Vodafone has deployed several EtherHaul-600T links in a U.K. city’s downtown area. The 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, in a news release, “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’re also performing reliably even as the streetlight poles twist and sway in the wind.”