Dish Network, the US satellite TV provider, is building the first virtualized standalone (SA) 5G network in the United States, and has announced the selection of Aviat Networks, one of our top 10 5G stocks, as a key supplier of 5G microwave transport.
"This microwave-based solution will help deliver the midhaul and backhaul connectivity we need, while excelling in affordability, reliability and resilience."
Jeff McSchooler, Dish.
“Aviat will play a central role in helping us utilize microwave, which has become a highly sought-after component of the wireless transport mix," said Jeff McSchooler, Dish executive vice president of wireless network operations. "This microwave-based solution will help deliver the midhaul and backhaul connectivity we need, while excelling in affordability, reliability and resilience."
An alternative to fiber backhaul
Due to geographical, environmental, political, and financial constraints, it isn’t always possible to use fiber to establish a backhaul connection to the core network, which poses a number of challenges for operators around the world. And in some of these cases, operators are turning to microwave frequency bands, which, although having extremely poor general coverage, are perfect for focusing a narrower beam, which creates a point-to-point connection between sites, and can deliver speeds of up to 10Gbps, over a distance of six miles.
"Being selected as a key wireless transport supplier by a technology innovator like Dish validates our position as a leader in wireless backhaul."
Pete Smith, Aviat Networks.
"We have the best microwave solutions on the market today," stated Pete Smith, President and CEO, Aviat Networks. "Being selected as a key wireless transport supplier by a technology innovator like Dish validates our position as a leader in wireless backhaul solutions for 5G networks. As 5G networks migrate to O-RAN, operators are able to choose the best-in-class backhaul vendor. As the leading specialist, the evolution to O-RAN creates exciting 5G opportunities for Aviat."
According to the announcement, Dish will deploy Aviat's hardware and software solutions to enable a high-capacity 5G microwave wireless transport network and will procure these solutions from the Aviat Store ecommerce platform.
"The 5G wireless transport market is expected to grow exponentially to over $1B in 2023, and microwave will play a critical role in this growth. Despite common perception, it's not just about fiber," said Jimmy Yu, vice president, Dell'Oro Group.
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