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ADAPTIVE RATE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION

Because Aviat Networks E-Link 1000EXR has 3-times higher system gain than competing
products, it can deliver Gigabit Ethernet bandwidth over the same distance and weather conditions
where competing adaptive rate products (AR80X in the picture below) have to reduce the
bandwidth 10-times to Fast Ethernet 100Mbps data rate (red bar below).

System Gain and throughput are the two most important parameters for 71/86 GHz (E- band) that
users should consider in selecting an equipment manufacturer. Aviat Networks millimeter wave
radios uses the highest system gain available without incurring a reduction in throughput during
fading events.
The E-Link 1000EXR is powered by highly integrated, state-of-the-art MMIC chips that enable the
radio to achieve system gain that is 3 times or 10dB higher over the closest competing e band
technology supplier. In order to operate at like distance and weather conditions to the E-Link, other
radios have to reduce system throughput 10-times to artificially increase system gain to similar
levels as E-Links.

CHALLENGE: ATMOSPHERIC SCATTERING AT 80 GHZ

At 80 GHz frequencies, precipitation in the form of rain is the primary atmospheric phenomenon that
reduces link availability. Rain drops effectively attenuate the radio signal by scattering it. As the rain
rate increases across a path the signal level drops until the receivers are unable to detect the
signal. In order to reduce the effects of rain attenuation, the RF link margin needs to be high
enough to overcome the attenuation from most rain events.
There are two methods to achieve high system gain performance on 80 GHz gigabit links:
Increase system gain by higher transmit power and/or lower receiver threshold.
Increase system gain by temporarily reducing the number of transmitted bits and reducing the
transmission bandwidth - commonly called adaptive rate modulation.

AVIAT NETWORKS

May 2010

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E-BAND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

WHAT IS ADAPTIVE RATE?

This artificial improvement in RF link margin, also known as adaptive rate, comes at the expense
of reduction of the gigabit throughput and transmission bandwidth rate from 1000 Mbps to 100
Mbps when heavy rain rate occurs. The shift from 1000 Mbps to 100 Mbps and reduction of
transmission bandwidth by 10-times effectively increases the system gain by 10dB. Adaptive rate
technology typically includes a Layer 2 switch with the radio and is typically implemented with two
separate receivers. The switch dramatically increases transmission latency, and two receivers
increases system costs and complexity.
The reduction in the transmit rate will produce an outage lasting between 50 to 100 ms to allow time
for the transmitters and receivers in the link to re-synchronize and provide valid Ethernet output.
This is a significant disruption for the user:

During the resynchronization process, data is lost. If voice traffic is present, the user hears
an interruption in speech.

Rate-sensitive traffic, such as video, will freeze and slow frame updates

Real time data, such as financial transactions, is lost and requires retransmission

Ring topology networks can experience a loss of throughput for the entire network (not just
the link experiencing the fade condition)

After a rate shift has occurred, all IP services then have to share a transport pipe that is 1/10th as
wide as before the rate change. And if packet shaping is used, certain services may be eliminated
during this event all together. This rate reduction can cause webpages to load slower, file transfers
to take much longer, and retransmission of lost packets occurs, effectively further lowering the
throughput for all IP services.

Link capacity reduction further affects network capacity

Networks based on ring topologies using E-band equipment are dependent upon maintaining
maximum throughput with minimum latency. If any link in the network reduces throughput (using
adaptive rate) due to fading, the entire ring could experience a throughput reduction. This is due
to packets not being dropped and, instead, being inserted at every node in the network and possibly
repeated through a node to one or more following nodes. If one link within the network is
experiencing a fade and is unable to provide the throughput required by the other nodes, the
network will have to reroute packets away from the link causing network congestion. This forces
the network switches or routers to limit available services to all users on the network, thus reducing
network throughput at least 10 times.

SUPERIOR SOLUTION HIGH SYSTEM GAIN

The only way to maintain network integrity and increase availability is to increase e band system
gain. The 1000EXR is powered by state-of-the art MMIC technology, which provides significantly
higher transmit power and improved receiver sensitivity. This technology allows Aviat Networks to
offer equipment with up to 10 dB system gain improvement without having to resort to adaptive
rate (reducing data throughput and bandwidth). By not having to revert to adaptive rate during a
heavy rain event across a link, the 1000EXR does not need to perform traffic shaping, can eliminate
double outages, increase QOS of IP services, maintain very low latency, and can improve the enduser experience.

AVIAT NETWORKS

May 2010

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E-BAND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

Availability of 99.99%
E-Link 1000EXR
Competitor with adaptive rate

ITU Region K
1G
FE
3.60 km
2.60 km 3.60 km

ITU Region N
1G
FE
2.23 km
1.70 km 2.23 km

At e band, system gain is everything. It determines how well the link performs during fading
events. Every dB of system gain improves link availability. The following table compares the
maximum link separation distances operating in ITU Rain Regions K and N between the E-Link
1000 and an 80 GHz radio that uses rate adaption to improve system gain at the expense of
throughput.
Note, in each of the above cases, the E-Link 1000EXR radio provides the same link distance as the
competitive product that adapts the transmission data rate from 1000 Mbps to 100 Mbps during a
rain fade, but does not deliver the same data rate throughput. This is not a GigE experience. The
operator and user expect GigE networks to operate at gigabit speeds through its entire operating
range. If one of the network nodes delivers 100 Mbps throughput, the entire network becomes
100Mbps.

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Aviat Networks, Inc. (2009-2010). All Rights Reserved.
Data subject to change without notice.
_w_E-band Adaptive Rate Eval_052010

AVIAT NETWORKS

May 2010