DragonWave confirmed the functionality of higher modulation modes of up to 2048 QAM on its Horizon packet microwave products.
In field tests conducted in Odessa, Ukraine, DragonWave’s in-country partner UKRCOM and their customer, Intertelecom, demonstrated the radios’ ability to transport up to 37 percent more data through existing microwave channels. This testing was combined with dual channel operation and DragonWave’s unique Bandwidth Accelerator feature.
DragonWave said the combination of these two features and the higher 2048 QAM modulation, offered an increase in capacity of greater than three times to more than 1.3 Gbps. This improves spectral efficiency and, correspondingly, lowers the operator’s cost per bit.
DragonWave noted that it has shipped over 800 Horizon links to Intertelecom through its local integration partner, UKRCOM to date.
“We explored other options for increasing link capacity such as XPIC, but we soon realized that DragonWave’s solution of coupling higher modulation modes with Hitless Automatic Adaptive Modulation allows us to meet the growing backhaul demands without needing to re-engineer existing links or purchase additional radios,” said Boris Akulov, CEO at Intertelecom. “In effect, we have found a very cost efficient and streamlined means to triple our network capacity.”
“The successful field testing of 2048 QAM marks another milestone in DragonWave being first to market with technology and innovation that sets us apart from the competition,” said DragonWave CEO Peter Allen. “We congratulate our Ukrainian customers on their performance results and are encouraged to be expanding our market share in an important and growing region for microwave transport.”
