Wireless networks are becoming even more pervasive and an indispensable part of our daily life. In order to cope with a large increase in traffic volume, as well as in the number of connected devices, new technologies, practices and spectrum rearrangements are required. In this context, a key question arises: how to provide extensive backhaul (and including fronthaul and midhaul) connectivity and capacity in a cost-effective and sustainable way for such pervasive networks? The answer, if exists, is rather complex and not the goal of this chapter. However, this chapter aims at providing the reader with an overview of some of the most prominent solutions and shed some light into the technical challenges ahead. This chapter is organized as follows. The vision of a backhaul solution for future wireless networks is first introduced, then wired, and radio-frequency (RF) wireless candidate solutions are covered. Special attention is given to the advantages and disadvantages of each technology. Overall, this chapter provides extensive qualitative comparison and discussion of the key components of each available solution. The tone of this chapter is to emphasize that, due to the pervasiveness of wireless networks, an one-size-fits-all approach is not attainable and hybrid wired-wireless solutions will take place.
Wired vs wireless backhaul, Page 1 of 2
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