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CSIRO Develops 10 Gbps Microwave Backhaul

theweatherelectric writes "James Hutchinson of iTnews writes, 'CSIRO has begun talks with global manufacturers to commercialise microwave technology it says can provide at least 10 Gbps symmetric backhaul services to mobile towers. The project, funded out of the Science and Industry Endowment Fund and a year in planning, could provide a ten-fold increase in the speed of point-to-point microwave transmission systems within two years, according to project manager, Dr Jay Guo. Microwave transmission is used to link mobile towers back to a carrier's network where it is physically difficult or economically unviable to run fibre to the tower. Where current technology has an upper limit of a gigabit per second to multiple towers over backhaul, the government organisation said it could provide the 10 Gbps symmetric speeds over ranges of up to 50 kilometres.'"

11 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Damn patent trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative
  2. Cost? by aquarajustin · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ubiquiti just announced their AirFiber product (http://www.ubnt.com/airfiber) which can get 1.4 Gbps symmetric at 13km. It'll be interesting to see the price point of this 10 Gbps system, as Ubiquiti's runs only $3k per endpoint. I was considering getting a pair of the Ubiquitis to connect a branch office to HQ.

    10 Gbps would be nice, but I'm guessing the cost of this system would be at least a magnitude greater than the AirFibers.

    1. Re:Cost? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Two links will be fine on the same tower. The beamwidth is very narrow at 24GHz and the radios are GPS synched.

      http://forum.ubnt.com/showthread.php?t=50005

    2. Re:Cost? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's actually 700 Mbps symmetric, and that is achievable at about 1.5 miles (Direct from the engineers mouthes at the release conference). 24gHz is also prone to "rain fade". This will be a great product but make sure you read through all the marketing BS. As a note Ubiquity is in the market to have "Disruptive Pricing". Most other vendors are selling PtP links at the same speed for closer to $13K - $25K.

  3. CSIRO != NPE by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    They did hire the scientists. Then they hired the lawyers to defend their exclusive rights in what the scientists developed. CSIRO is not an NPE any more than ARM or any other R&D company is.

  4. Re:Good work by the Australians by duk242 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nope, the Fibre is capable of speeds greater than 10gbit, just the tech on either end isn't at that spec for the runs to the houses (as it's currently unnecessary).

  5. Subtle but important addition ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    A vital point not explicitly highlighted in the summary - the Science and Industry Endowment Fund providing some of the funding for this work was the main beneficiary of last year's settlement around CSIRO's wireless patent.

    That is, the settlement money is being directly reinvested in new research to further develop wireless technologies, as well as public good research in other fields.

  6. Re:See? CSIRO is no troll by TENTH+SHOW+JAM · · Score: 4, Informative

    I can't stand the idea of government taking someones money under threat of force

    Pay tax much? Governments get to charge taxes because they have standing armies. This has been the way since the dawn of city states and will not change because you don't like it.

    --
    A sig is placed here
    To display how futile
    English Haiku is
  7. Re:csiro? new tech? by Antarius · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ultrasound Scanners (as used by pregnant women everywhere)
    Solar hot water
    A4 DSP chip
    Aerogard, insect repellent
    Atomic absorption spectroscopy
    Distance measuring equipment (DME) used for aviation navigation
    Gene shears
    Extended Wear Contact Lenses
    Interscan Microwave landing system, a microwave approach and landing system for aircraft
    Use of myxomatosis and calicivirus to control rabbit numbers
    Parkes Radio Telescope
    The permanent pleat for fabrics
    Polymer (plastic) banknotes, or "funny money"
    Relenza flu drug
    'Softly' woolens detergent
    X-ray phase contrast imaging
    Buffalo fly trap
    EXELGRAM (optical anti-counterfeiting technology)
    RAFT (Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer) Polymerisation
    The Mills Cross radiotelescope design
    Supercapacitors
    24 hour tests for Tuberculosis in animals and humans


    It was also the CSIRO's Parkes Radio Telescope that beamed the Moon Landing.

    CSIRO isn't a patent troll, they're a government owned R&D organisation. They get money from inventions, but who doesn't? Patent trolls come up with (obvious) ideas and never make it work. CSIRO actually patents completed inventions.

    Some more achievements for you.

  8. Re:See? CSIRO is no troll by chrb · · Score: 4, Informative
  9. Re:csiro? new tech? by grainofsand · · Score: 3, Informative

    You say "socialism" as though it is a bad thing.

    Many many countries that are not the USA don't agree.

    --
    A dream is good. A plan is better.