Huawei and Ufone: World's First Microwave SuperHub Wins GSMA GLOMO "Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets" Award
[Barcelona, Spain, March 6, 2024] During MWC Barcelona 2024, Huawei’s SuperHub solution won the GSMA GLOMO "Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets" award for its ability to enhance spectral efficiency of microwave spectrum. The SuperHub solution allows microwave spectrum to be reused across multiple links with a separation as low as 15 degrees improving spectrum utilization and resulting in substantial increase in link capacity. The global first-ever trial and commercial deployment of the SuperHub feature was done in Ufone network resulting in 50% spectrum saving and 100% reduction in interference. These accomplishments have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the construction of better mobile backhaul networks. This honor was awarded in recognition of joint contributions of Ufone and Huawei in optimizing microwave spectral efficiency and enhancing capacity by mitigating co-channel interference among neighboring links at regional hub sites.
Huawei and Ufone Pakistan's SuperHub solution wins the GSMA GLOMO "Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets" award
Ufone is a 100% owned subsidiary of PTCL Group which is the largest integrated Information Communication Technology (ICT) company of Pakistan. As the communication backbone for the country, PTCL Group has always been one step ahead of its competitors in terms of technology, innovation and network efficiency.
Jafar Khalid, Chief Technology and Information Officer of Ufone Pakistan, expressed strong praise for the SuperHub solution, "We are proud to have successfully deployed the world's first SuperHub solution in our mobile network. Having achieved excellent results, we believe that this innovative solution will help Ufone 4G release more capacity from existing spectrum resources to meet the exponential increase in mobile backhaul demand triggered by the data explosion our industry is embracing."
The widespread implementation of 5G is accelerating the digitalization and informatization of social and economic systems. However, wireless backhaul networks continue to face many challenges in developing countries. For example, hub sites often struggle because of small link angles, restricted spectrum resources, and difficulties in acquiring new frequencies. These challenges impede capacity expansion on live networks.
Ufone Pakistan and Huawei decided to create a technical solution to address these challenges and improve backhaul coverage with reduced signal interference and enhanced spectral efficiency. Typically, when neighboring links at the same site reuse microwave frequencies, the angle between the links must be greater than 90° to prevent signal interference. However, the density of links and the limited spectrum available to hub sites limit the number of frequencies that can be used for network expansion. The SuperHub solution dynamically optimizes transmit power to improve spectral efficiency, opening-up new site directions which can lead to the expansion of link capacities within existing frequencies, and enhancing the transmission performance of existing links. These optimizations to spectrum resources reduce operators' total cost of ownership (TCO).
James Zeng, President of Huawei Microwave Product Line, explained, "Our SuperHub solution uses existing frequencies to greatly boost bandwidth, enhance user experience, and optimize the TCO for operators. This contributes to the expansion of 5G network deployment and the provision of better network connectivity."
Microwave is an essential component of backhaul networks. New microwave technologies enhance performance to deliver high-bandwidth pipelines for radio access networks, and will continue to evolve as a core part of future 5.5G ecosystems.
MWC Barcelona 2024 will be held from February 26 to February 29 in Barcelona, Spain. During the event, Huawei will showcase its latest products and solutions at stand 1H50 in Fira Gran Via Hall 1.
With the 2024 commercial launch of 5.5G, Huawei is collaborating with operators and partners around the world to pursue exciting new innovation in networks, cloud, and intelligence. Together, we will drive 5G business and foster a thriving industry ecosystem, creating a new era for intelligent digital transformation. For more information, please visit: https://carrier.huawei.com/en/events/mwc2024.
