Comsearch Upgrades Wireless Backhaul Design Tool for Better Microwave Links and Quicker Deployments

Comsearch, the spectrum management and wireless engineering solution provider, has upgraded its iQ.linkXG microwave link design tool to address the unique requirements of today’s wireless backhaul networks, including those featuring small cells and sophisticated radios.

Comsearch has enhanced the iQ.link®XG software to make it much easier to accurately engineer microwave links for small cell applications and with adaptive modulation radios.

“Our customers have told us that their main priority is to design and evaluate microwave links as quickly and efficiently as possible so they can keep up with their customers’ demands,” said Chris Hardy, general manager, Comsearch. “That requirement guided our iQ.linkXG upgrade, which is all about simplifying and improving microwave link design.”

With iQ.linkXG Version 9.5, Comsearch believes it has created the first microwave link design solution tailored for small cell backhaul, where non-line-of-sight (nLOS) conditions often apply. The iQ.linkXG Version 9.5 upgrade also makes it much easier for engineers to configure microwave links powered by adaptive modulation radios. The enhancements that Comsearch® engineers made to the iQ.linkXG are the following:

• Small cell planning can involve both line-of-sight and non line-of-sight paths, the latter of which presents a special challenge to designing networks, where signal loss predictions are critical. Comsearch has developed unique and proprietary models that look at the true obstruction environment along a path to better calculate losses. These models have been validated with a major radio vendor using existing network designs and integrated into iQ.linkXG Version 9.5.

• The use of adaptive modulation radios has made it difficult for link designers to quickly engineer microwave paths. Power, fade margins and predicted performance must be evaluated for all the modulations configured for a path, not just one. In order to simplify the design of microwave links with such complex radios, Comsearch has developed a unique, highly-intuitive graphical interface that takes guesswork out of the equation. Microwave link engineers can now easily configure power levels for their radios by using the simplified interface, and instantly seeing the impact on path performance.

“The wireless industry is abuzz with talk of small cells, but the logistics of finding sites, powering them and supplying backhaul remains challenging,” said Hardy. “Our planning tool will make it easier to deploy microwave backhaul in settings that require special attention—namely, small cells and links with the most sophisticated radios.”

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Managing Wireless Spectrum…Again

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Comsearch and iQ.link are registered trademarks of CommScope, Inc.

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Source: CommScope