The 60 GHz band is ideal for infrastructure applications in
urban environments and is a very cost-effective alternative to fiber
deployment. So why are we not seeing 60 GHz nodes on every street corner? There
are important changes coming in the regulations governing the use of the 60 GHz
band which make this more likely in the near future.
With the advantages of phased array antennas and electronic
beam-steering technology for large urban deployments now well understood and
implementations from Lattice and others becoming available, we are starting to
see large scale trials - a good example of which is the Facebook Terragraph trial in San Jose, California where
a 10 square kilometer region of the city will be provisioned with high-speed
Wi-Fi supported by a 60 GHz mesh network.
The benefits of this technology are universal and are even
more valuable in regions with a larger broadband connectivity deficit. However,
while the 60 GHz band is license-free in most regions, it does not mean that it
is completely without regulation – and those regulations are typically written
to take into account the capabilities of the equipment that is available at the
time. As an example, the recommendations Rec. 05(02) and Rec. 09(01) of the European
Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT),
which are applicable to its 49 member countries, have minimum antenna gain
requirements for outdoor Fixed Service that are fine for conventional equipment
but effectively prohibit next-generation equipment that uses beam-steering
technology. By contrast, the Federal Communications Commission in the United
States has already adopted rules that are friendly to beam-steering technology.
The increased awareness from the operators and equipment
manufacturers regarding the benefits of phased array antenna and electronic
beam-steering technology is now translating into a debate between regulatory
committees. As part of this activity, Lattice recently participated in a
technical analysis led by Huawei that forms the basis of a multi-company
contribution to the Fixed Service working group in CEPT (ECC SE 19) recommending regulatory change. Lattice
provided the system parameters for its current wireless infrastructure solution
so that Huawei could model the propagation characteristics and probabilities of
interference in a simulation of an urban deployment. You can learn more about
wireless infrastructure products built with Lattice’s SiBEAM technology here.
Figure 1: Simulation scenario from technical analysis contribution to CEPT
Figure 2: GigaRay wireless infrastructure solution
The study found that “Point-to-MultiPoint (PtMP) and MultiPoint-to-MultiPoint
(MPtMP) products with maximum EIRP 40 dBm, in meshed networks, where
each network element with beam-steering antennascould be reached by
more than one direction by other equipment with link auto discovery seem better
fitting the dense urban scenario providing very good performance and low
probability of interference”. This is a very strong endorsement! The technical
contribution now forms the basis of the investigation by SE 19 which will, in
all likelihood, permit the use of beam-steering technologies in outdoor
applications.
The review in Europe is echoed in other parts of the world
as regulators determine the most effective use of their spectrum assets. On
March 13, 2017, Argentina’s ENACOM approved the use of the 57-64 GHz band for Fixed and Mobile
Services and authorized use of “wireless broadband local access systems in
shared mode”. On May 9, 2017, Mexico’s Federal Institute of
Telecommunications (IFT) classified
the 57-64 GHz frequency band as license-free spectrum for indoor and outdoor
use. In India, TRAI has recommended to the Department of
Telecommunications the delicensing of the 60 GHz band for both mobile and
infrastructure applications in support of the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make In
India’ initiatives and action by the Government of India as anticipated.
The promise of phased array antenna and
electronic beam-steering technology is to revolutionize the delivery of fixed
wireless access and mobile network and metro Wi-Fi services without the need
for costly and time consuming fiber installation. Lattice’s wireless
infrastructure products provide operators and service providers with the actual
means to deploy such networks. We will continue to work with equipment
manufacturers and operators to promote regulatory change where it is needed to
fully realize the potential of these technologies and to reduce the global
broadband deficit, delivering gigabit wireless everywhere. It’s time consuming
work – but we can sense that change is in the air!
© Lattice Semiconductor
