Evolution toward 5G, small cell deployments and dark fiber all impact backhaul outlook
Network densification, currently being driven by deployment of small cells, will be a pillar of next-generation “5G” mobile networks. But as demand for capacity drives infrastructure expansion, carriers and managed services providers are cognizant of the ever-present (and growing) need for backhaul.
Greg Friesen, VP of product management for Dragonwave, said 2016 will be a major year in the development of 5G “and, as a result, help define the backhaul that will be required.
“We know 5G will bring very high capacity and low delay, but the industry in the coming year should better understand how much capacity is required for backhaul and what latency is sufficient, as well as what spectrum will be used for access. This will drive what backhaul spectrum can be utilized, and give a greater indication of the likely link length and density of backhaul required.”
Friesen also noted as networks become more complex, intelligent management tools are moving to the network edge; backhaul networks are no exception.
“Network Intelligence will spread further from the core to the edge of the backhaul network in 2016, as we will start to see software-defined networking emerge on last mile links, along with more intelligent switching protocols at the network edge, including MPLS-TP. These features will be seen in new product offerings and should also become more prevalent in operator network requirements.”
Dark fiber
As referenced, small cells are another major driver of backhaul network evolution particularly around dark fiber.
With the growth of small cells and the need for more backhaul to towers due to increased data demands, infrastructure providers know eventually there will be a market for the dormant fiber. They also understand operators are looking to cut costs any way they can.
As Aaron Blazar, VP of Atlantic-ACM, announced back in September 2014, “Evolving thoughts around mobile network economics and end-user requirements are driving operators to look at the opportunity which, in turn, is creating significant opportunities for U.S. fiber infrastructure providers to support the movement.”
Verizon Communications is one carrier that says dark fiber will be key to its network densification efforts. “Getting dark fiber out there, getting the small cells in there, that’s the direction we’re headed,” said Brian Mecum, VP of network for the West Area at Verizon, back in September. “That’s what’s going to give us our ability to deliver to our customers on the promise of reliability.”
Small cells
Fiber is the backhaul option of preference, but, as networks continuously grow more and more dense with deployment of small cells, getting access to fiber becomes increasingly tricky.
Phil Olivero, CTO at Lightower Fiber Networks, discussed the topic with RCR Wireless News putting a particular emphasis on wireless backhaul needs associated with small cell deployment.
Lightower claims more than 30,000 route miles of fiber in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Midwest, providing connectivity to more than 15,000 locations including around 250 data centers and more than 5,000 wireless towers.
Olivero discussed the fiber needs of carrier small cell rollouts: “Mobile data traffic is just exploding. You’ve got wireless carriers now who are challenged really to keep up with that growth … and provide a great customer experience. Really, with the surge in demand, there are certainly pockets of capacity that are needed to basically augment the network. They’re now starting to employ things like small cells and are specifically asking for things like fiber backhaul. They have coverage, now they need capacity.”
Olivero added small cells “are becoming an integral part of wireless networks. They’re really a number of challenges that must be overcome to ramp up deployment. You have to understand, at purpose built macro towers, you’ve got a specialized piece of real estate and specialized land owners that basically understand how to deal with these wireless operators.”
That makes space, power and backhaul easy. “In contrast, as much as small cells are needed, where they’re installed and where they’re needed is in places that aren’t typically set up for easy site acquisition,” Olivero said. “These are going on utility poles, they’re going on sides of buildings, really non-traditional locations for cell sites. To speed deployment, really wireless carriers are looking for folks to help them solve some of those problems. They’re looking to us and others sometimes for turnkey solutions.”
