Why Multiband Microwave Radio Systems?

April 3, 2023 | By Chris Sayles

Greater bandwidth over longer distances with lower real estate cost may be a good start… Multiband radio systems have higher reliability due to adaptive modulation and frequency diversity improvement. All these factors combined can make multiband microwave radio systems a great addition to your network.

Greater bandwidth can be accomplished by combining multiple RF channels into a single data stream allowing for a seamless high-capacity handoff. Combining multiple frequency bands such as 80 GHz, 18 GHz, 11 GHz, and 23 GHz over a single antenna system can extend link distance as well as reliability. In addition to combining the RF channels, the radio also combines the capacity from each RF carrier into one common data stream output. The combination of these data streams into a common output is called Link Aggregation, or LAG for short.

Real estate cost for tower space is at an all-time high. Landlords are monetizing every square inch of their assets leaving lessees scrambling for ways to cut lease costs. Combining multiple RF channels over a single antenna can increase ROI by cutting lease fees substantially. With multiband microwave radio systems, you can benefit from two radios for the price of one along with higher link capacity.

Multiband radios receive benefit from frequency diversity as well as adaptive modulation. With these two technologies combined you receive a powerhouse of tremendous system gain as well as reliability improvement factors. Adaptive modulation enables the radio to deliver high-capacity speeds when the atmospheric conditions are optimal and “down-shift” to more reliable modes of modulation when conditions are unfavorable. This enables the link to stay up almost indefinitely while only suffering small periods of reduced capacity. Frequency diversity can improve a radio system’s reliability by shifting the radio loads between the two different carriers depending on which one is responding better to the atmospheric conditions. Multiband radio systems employing both adaptive modulation and frequency diversity yield greater capacity with improved reliability overall.

All together this is a very exciting time in the field of microwave radio communications. Having so many tools available to solve the hunger for higher capacity radio systems makes for successful system designs! Infiniti Wireless is currently designing multiband radio systems delivering up to 10 Gb full duplex capacity. Please contact us to learn more about how we can assist with improving your networks capacity and reliability.