Aviat Networks has announced that Kenyan telecoms operator Safaricom has selected its WTM 4800 multi-band radio platform for 5G backhaul. Multi-band combines traditional microwave (6GHz-42GHz) and E-band (70GHz-80GHz) over the same link and same antenna, helping to lower spectrum costs by offloading traffic from microwave spectrum onto less expensive E-band spectrum, while still maintaining the reliability of microwave.
‘We are excited to continue to expand our WTM 4800 multi-band deployments internationally,’ stated Pete Smith, President and CEO of Aviat Networks, adding: ‘The pace of 5G rollouts is increasing and we plan to leverage our differentiated capabilities to help customers deploy the lowest TCO [total cost of ownership] backhaul possible.’