Siklu Solutions: Internet Access

Single-Family Units

What with the explosion of streaming entertainment services, video content on social media platforms, more working from home and multiple connected devices per household, it’s no longer much of a debate – a Gigabit for every household is not only desirable, but it’s fast becoming a “minimum requirement” – and a keyway to distinguish your proposition as a Service Provider. As is well documented, fibre networks are carrying hundreds of Gigs of “Internet access,” but the last 50 feet or 15 meters from the street to the home can mean a rapid drop off in capacity. And what if the nearest fibre POP lies much further away than that?

The Siklu mmWave portfolio is a perfect way to extend that fibre speed to the home without any loss of capacity. In fact, given Siklu’s 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps Full Duplex data throughput capabilities, mmWave in the E- and V-Band spectrum is often referred to as “wireless fibre.” And Siklu has a variety of products and configuration options to make that “Gigabit to the Home” a reality.

For instance, Siklu can connect from two to three miles from a fibre POP with a point-to-point connection and run a point-to-multipoint from that to connect all the homes in a service area. Advanced beam forming and expandable capacity to meet the requirements of dense deployments or large-scale developments enhance the mmWave value proposition. These solutions will work with most neighbourhoods – from new housing developments in the suburbs to older, established urban districts.

Multi-Dwelling Units

Whether garden-style complexes or high-rise buildings, delivering very-high-speed broadband has always been problematic due to fibre access, property layout, inside wiring and other issues. Now with the cry of “Give me a Gig!” growing daily, how should property management companies, condo associations and other entities tackle this problem – and raise the value of their properties in the process?

Many apartment buildings in large cities do not have direct fibre connections and a complex in the suburbs could be a mile from the nearest PoP. Using a variety of mmWave solutions from its industry-leading portfolio, Siklu can establish a multi-Gigabit point-to-point link up to two or three miles from a PoP and then use a point-to-multipoint configuration to saturate the property with Gigabits. Owners and residents can take advantage of the latest in-building connectivity options to access the Siklu feed from the central receive location. Operating in the mmWave bands means massive capacities and virtually zero interference, especially when compared to legacy wireless systems.

In addition, Siklu’s active role in the Terragraph initiative plays a big part in the MDU Gigabit solution. Facebook’s Terragraph was conceived to address the problems of securing true broadband access in larger cities. Siklu’s fourth generation of multi-point 60GHz products is fully Terragraph compliant and is part of a complete system for designing and operating dense, mesh networks of thousands of nodes – which will prove useful in serving neighbourhoods and MDU buildings of all types. Terragraph also is another example of the compelling advantage Fixed 5G service providers have over their mobile-based counterparts – especially for Gigabit-speed access.

Education

When applied to campus settings, Gigabit speed mmWave networks provide the best coverage for multiple applications including linking HD security cameras for academic buildings, dormitories, athletic facilities and parking lots and garages. They can also be used of course to improve the distance learning infrastructure, for real-time interactive video classes and more, for local school districts and at the university level. The goal is to have these and a myriad of other applications on one wireless network – creating and supporting a Smart Campus.

Siklu Gigabit mmWave seamlessly connects multiple buildings and facilities and devices typically located within an area measuring several square kilometres. The Siklu network also can accommodate the many high-speed Wi-Fi access nodes located throughout the campus – to improve intra-campus connectivity and as a backhaul to the wide area network. Campus sizes vary widely of course, and the topology of each campus will require a unique network design. Siklu offers a broad selection of products – in terms of capacity and range/link distance — to provide the best solution for each portion of the network.

This includes 1Gbps to 10Gbps full duplex point-to-point connections and point-to-multipoint beam steering solutions. In short, only Siklu has the depth and breadth of products for a fully functional, full-coverage mmWave Smart Campus network.

Rural Connectivity

Everyone everywhere wants the same streaming entertainment, online shopping, interactive gaming, work-from-home and other bandwidth-intensive services. Fibre optic lines have been slowly moving closer to rural area customers and Siklu’s industry-leading mmWave technology has always been an excellent “fibre extender” and last-mile connection option.

Rural areas may be wide open and spread out, but in every county, there is a town of some size and, increasingly, these small towns are gaining access to a fibre optic line – usually running down “Main Street.” Siklu mmWave wireless systems are the ideal solution to connect to this fibre and distribute Gigabit connectivity throughout the region. Further, we are making Gigabit wireless networks easier to engineer and deploy.

For instance, we now have four generations of 60GHz products, and we work closely with our customers to define the next-generation products. The latest line includes economical customer premise equipment the size of a smartphone that’s a snap to install and then connect to radios such as the Siklu MultiHaul™. Now more than ever, wireless Gigabit access speeds with single-digit latencies are the best bargain in the industry.

Industrial Connectivity

There’s been a lot of discussion about private LTE and 5G networks for industrial settings such as factories in urban areas, but what about the heavy industry, wide open spaces settings of oil rigs, mining operations, ports and related – what’s the best way to deliver Gigabit-speed, “real-time” connectivity to those areas? The answer lies in mmWave technology, which is providing the highest-speed connectivity in the industry.

New industrial “tools” such as Industrial IoT, big data cloud-based analytics, advanced sensor applications and drone-based HD video are driving the need for Gigabit-speed connectivity at these sites. Companies operating in such areas face connectivity challenges and may see operations grind to a halt as cellular and traditional wireless networks struggle to keep up with these new technologies. Connections to cell towers, few and far between as they are in remote areas, can be further hindered by factors like distance, rugged terrain, or extreme weather conditions.  Other factors to consider include security, reliability, performance, and ongoing operational expenses.

Siklu V-Band or E-Band mmWave systems can deliver multi-Gigabit bandwidth while avoiding the interference that has plagued traditional narrowband options. Further, they are simple to install and even easier to operate. Siklu mmWave products, whether they are our Point-to-Point EtherHaul™ or our Point to Multi-Point MultiHaul™ platforms, can be used by people with little to no training. As for reliability, the MTBF rating for Siklu radios is measured in years – meaning you really can “set it and forget it.”

If you’re interested in any of the products or services mentioned above, please get in contact:

siklu@purdi.com

+44 (0)1488 647 647