Five key challenges to improving LTE network backhaul speed

The move to LTE brings great improvements in connection speeds (30 Mbps typical) but it also brings a costly problem with it; the need to greatly uprate mobile network backhaul speeds. Today’s average backhaul capacity is 35 Mbps per cell and this needs to increase to approximately 1 Gbps per cell in just five years to support the predicted mobile data growth.

quality of the mobile network.

Therefore, small cells need to not only be easy to install and align, they need to be automatically reconfigurable if moved or disturbed, and self-organising as the operator adds to the network.

Electronic antenna steering using phased array antenna (PAA) technology provides an ideal solution to these problems. Originally designed for military applications, this is now a mature technology and 60 GHz PAA technology is now becoming available at cost points compatible with the commercial constraints for small-cell backhaul. PAA technology also fits well with the emerging use of self-optimizing networks (SON) as SON could utilise PAA to dynamically steer antenna connections and thus re-configure network coverage for very high capacity hotspots.

About the author;

Mark Barrett is Chief Marekting Officer at Blu Wireless, www.bluwirelesstechnology.com