Nokia and Orange France complete world’s first 20Gbit/s microwave carrier aggregation link trial using E-Band and traditional frequencies

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced that it has extended its collaboration with Orange France to upgrade its microwave backhaul network with the latest product generation. Combining the capabilities of Nokia’s latest high-power E-Band microwave and traditional microwave frequency products, the trial enabled a high-capacity link over a distance of almost 4 kilometers.

The trial successfully demonstrated the use of microwave carrier aggregation techniques, achieving a throughput of 20 Gbps over a distance of 3.6 km. This was enabled by combining the carriers from two microwave radios operating in the 18 GHz band with two E-Band microwave radios operating at 80 GHz, using a single dual-band (18+80 GHz) antenna.

In addition to new products from its Wavence microwave portfolio, Nokia will provide Orange France with a range of products and services from its comprehensive AirScale 5G radio access portfolio, as well as a state-of-the-art network management solution and associated professional services.

The Nokia Wavence portfolio includes innovative, high-capacity ultra-broadband microwave transceivers, designed to support operators as they build out their 5G networks. Wavence products support the evolution of both backhaul and fronthaul with multi-gigabit capacity, low-latency characteristics, and industry-leading RF power output for deployment flexibility.

Christian Gacon, CTO Fixed/IP/Optical/Microwave Networks at Orange France, said: “Nokia’s innovative Wavence portfolio and microwave technology will ensure that we can deliver high-capacity services and experiences to our customers over long distances, which is critical as the usage of 5G increases. This technology will support Orange’s ambition to remain the indisputable best network in France. I look forward to continuing our partnership with Nokia moving forward.”

Giuseppe Targia, VP Transport Business Unit, Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “High-performance microwave backhaul is essential for extending the reach of 5G networks. I am extremely proud to continue our work with Orange France into the 5G era, with our Wavence portfolio providing a solid foundation for the operator’s 5G services all across the country. We continue to drive important innovations for microwave and millimeter wave wireless transport solutions that support our customers with coverage and capacity where it is needed.”