MONTREAL, Canada and BOSTON, USA, November 29, 2011 - Point to multipoint (PtmP) microwave backhaul shipments increased 11% in Q2 2011, now representing fully half of the PtmP total market, according to Maravedis' latest report, Wireless PtmP Backhaul Market from an All-IP Perspective.
Despite the currently dominant role of traditional point to point microwave, Maravedis believes that new viable alternatives such as non-line of sight radios and millimeter waves will be in great market demand for solving the backhaul challenge. "All-outdoor radios with NLOS capabilities will become a key asset for backhaul links between lampposts and the sides of buildings where small cells are being installed," said Elias Aravantinos, author of the report. Using PtmP links promises significant OPEX and CAPEX reduction over PtP, but has the business case yet been proved in the field?
The wireless PtmP backhaul equipment market is expected to surpass US$ 1 billion by 2016 from an estimated $200 million in 2011. "Maravedis believes the overall PtmP wireless backhaul market growth will kick-start in 2013, driven by small cell market growth and the increasing number of LTE deployments overall" added Adlane Fellah, Research Director at Maravedis.
Drawing from in-depth interviews with backhaul vendors and operators worldwide, the report provides a detailed look at wireless PtmP backhaul technology, spectrum, investment and market trends.
Selected Key Findings:
- Africa was the fastest growing region for Ptmp microwave shipments in H2 2010.
- Shipments of radios in the 26GHz band represented 35% of total shipments in Q2 2011, an increase of 40% from the previous quarter
- The emerging NLOS backhaul market will reach a 35% of the total PtmP shipments by 2016 in the sub 6GHz bands
- Carrier Wi-Fi vendors are increasingly considering backhaul functionalities in their radios
PtmP equipment performance needs improvements to meet the MTBF equivalent levels of PtP radios
