OREANDA-NEWS. NEC Corporation is showcasing the iPASOLINK iX, a highly configurable all-outdoor microwave backhaul system that can be deployed to meet a wide variety of site specific demands over its long lifespan, at the Packet Microwave & Mobile Backhaul Forum in Dusseldorf on 22-24 September 2014. It provides mobile operators with the flexibility to quickly re-architect their wireless backhaul network, redeploying equipment to deliver the increased capacity they need to address changing patterns of mobile application service usage at a local level, while minimising the number of spare parts they hold.

As a novel departure from traditional fixed-function all-outdoor mobile backhaul radios, NEC's iPASOLINK iX is fully frequency capable across the range of 6GHz to 42GHz bands. In addition, it supports up to 9 modulation states, starting at QPSK (Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying) right up to higher order 2048 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). This means it can support a traffic capacity of 1Gbps uncompressed from a few kilometres up to many tens of kilometres, integrating seamlessly with operators' fibre networks at the pre-aggregation layer. The iX can be deployed as an ultra-compact all outdoor solution on the mast as a safeguard against vandalism or split-mounted to provide easy ground-level maintenance access to the baseband processor.

NEC's inclusion of advanced Adaptive Modulation (AM) functionality means the iPASOLINK iX automatically changes modulation mode for reliable transmissions in adverse weather conditions, such as rain, sleet and snow. The bandwidth is also automatically adjusted to prioritise high quality Ethernet traffic as link conditions change in line with the operators' policies. This makes it ideal to meet growth in capacity demand that will be driven by rising volumes of VoIP, video and other data-intensive traffic.

Steve Walthew, Microwave Solutions Specialist at NEC Corporation in EMEA, commented, "NEC's wireless backhaul solutions already have a strong reputation for reliability with an exceptionally long lifespan, even when they're deployed in desert, tropical or arctic conditions. By making our technology fully frequency capable and easy to redeploy between regions, countries or operating groups, iPASOLINK iX is a truly future-proofed solution. In this way, NEC is supporting rapid network transformation and enabling operators to maximise their return on investment in their backhaul network over the longer term."

The iX is part of NEC's wider portfolio of backhaul solutions, which includes the iPASOLINK 100, 200, 400 and 1000 series of microwave products. This gives operators maximum deployment flexibility to meet their operational needs while minimising their total cost of ownership through high levels of reliability and streamlined spare parts management.

NEC will also showcase its iPASOLINK GX outdoor router at the Packet Microwave and Mobile Backhaul Forum which can also supply Power-over-Ethernet for all-outdoor solutions like the iX using a separate power supply to further simplify deployments. The GX can also be used to aggregate small cell traffic. The use of Layer 3 capabilities enables edge sites to become aggregation nodes and make network additions, moves, and changes easier, including the introduction of mesh to ring topologies and hyper dense small cell sites.