Mobinil first operator in the world to deploy new Ericsson E-band microwave link

BARCELONA, Spain -- Ericsson said the launch of a world first live E-band microwave link with 5 Gbps capacity will enable Egypt-based operator Mobinil to become a data centric operator.

In a statement issued on the final day of the Mobile World Congress, here, Ericsson explained that Mobinil is the first deployment for its new Mini-Link 6352 microwave link and that E-band spectrum is a key element in providing backhaul and fronthaul capacity increases. The spectrum will represent up to 20 per cent of new deployments in 2020, Ericsson predicted.

Rafiah Ibrahim head of Ericsson Region Middle East and Africa, said the advantages of E-band "are its wide spectrum and channels that enable very high capacities."

A key benefit of the E-band microwave link is in providing an "enhanced customer experience," Ibrahim added, noting that such an advantage is a key point of differentiation for operators "to succeed in competitive markets, such as Egypt."

The microwave link was rolled out on Orange-owned Mobinil's network in January, and will boost Egypt's readiness for widespread LTE adoption, Ericsson stated.

Hisham Sibilini, Mobinil CTIO, explained that the launch of "this global first technology is an anticipatory move in light of our expanding customer base and its long-term sustainability."

The vendor separately announced another success for its recent partnership with Cisco, revealing that Vodafone Portugal has engaged the companies to evolve its mobile backhaul. The project will see Ericsson deploy and integrate Cisco's Aggregation Services Router (ASR) 9000 product families with its systems integration and global services to expand the capacity of Vodafone Portugal's network.

Ericsson said the increased capacity will significantly increase the data throughput of the Portuguese operator's network, and pave the way for future evolution to 5G technology.

Hilton Romanski, chief strategy officer at Cisco, previously revealed that the duo's collaboration had already resulted in the signing of deals with multiple customers, many of which focus on IP backhaul and data centre transformation, some 73 days after the partnership was announced.

For more:
- see Ericsson's Mobinil announcement
- view the vendor's Vodafone Portugal release

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