Wireless Providers Dig Into Fiber Backhaul

In preparation for the high throughput demands of 5G, wireless carriers are investing in low-latency fiber.

In fact, mobile operators will deploy more than 2.6 million outdoor small cells using fiber backhaul or fronthaul between 2018 and 2022, according to the recently published report, Backhaul/Fronthaul for Small Cells, by Mobile Experts.

While fiber may be "overkill" for an LTE small cell, it's required to meet the anticipated throughput demands of 5G upgrades, Joe Madden, principal analyst at Mobile Experts, told UBB2020.

"5G will require high throughput," he said. "In our forecast, we're tracking the need for between 1 Gbit/s and 5 Gbit/s for a substantial number of small cells in the 2020 to 2022 timeframe. In addition, 5G requires low latency and fiber can provide lower latency than most wireless backhaul connections."

Even though the accelerated timeline for 5G means standards-based mobile 5G services won't get into some customers' hands until late 2018, deploying fiber is a time-consuming task that both wireless and wireline operators must begin sooner than later, Madden noted.

"In some cities, fiber becomes logistically difficult because of zoning issues or fragmented ownership of utility poles," he said. "Technically, fiber is almost always the best solution, but in the practical world there will be places where it's simply too difficult to get permission to install the fiber." (See Get 'Dig Once' Out of Its Rut)

Related posts:

• New Viavi Extension Gives Techs Same Tool for New 5G Tasks
• NGPON2 & 5G Backhaul: Both Friend & Foe
• ADTRAN, CCS Help Operators Prep for 5G Densification

— Alison Diana, Editor, UBB2020. Follow us on Twitter @UBB2020 or @alisoncdiana.

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