Huawei and Saudi Telecom Company (stc) have installed what they claim is ‘the world’s first SuperLink network solution’ in Dammam (Saudi Arabia). The SuperLink solution consists of a multi-frequency antenna and four-in-one carrier aggregation (CA) outdoor unit (ODU); the multi-frequency antenna can cover three large frequency bands (6GHz, 7GHz and 8GHz or 13GHz, 15GHz and 18GHz), while the 4-in-1 CA ODU integrates four channels in one hardware, which can reduce the number of ODUs by 75%, thus supporting higher modulation modes and larger channel bandwidth and increasing the capacity of a single ODU by 400%. Eng. Bader A. Allhieb, vice president of infrastructure at stc Saudi Arabia, said: ‘SuperLink avoids hardware stacking for long-reach large-capacity microwave, which eases the deployment. It provides a higher bandwidth and effectively covers suburban areas with 5G. What’s more, SuperLink can be combined with the long-reach E-band solution that can provide smooth coverage in urban areas to accelerate stc’s 5G deployment.’
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