https://www.virginmedia.com/corporat...oadband-and-tv
Virgin Media trials use of wireless radio signals to help connect 12 homes in Greenham, located just on the edge of the market town of Newbury with 1Gbps download and 150Mbps upload trial speeds, alongside full TV services over full fibre. Residents are connected directly with fibre and use Virgin Media’s Hub 3.0 router and V6 set-top box.
By minimising disruption and avoiding the need for lengthy and expensive civil engineering work, this wireless backhaul could mean that trunk network build costs are reduced by up to 90%. This reduction could help make it viable to connect premises previously deemed too costly or logistically challenging such as rural areas and apartment blocks.
While Virgin Media has trialled this technology with 12 homes, the 10Gbps radio link can sustainably support delivery of residential services to 500 homes when considering a 40% average annual growth in data consumption. Furthermore, following configuration changes, the radio link can be upgraded to support a 20Gbps connection - meaning 2000 homes could comfortably be connected in one area.
A 3km wireless distance is currently the optimal target to guarantee reliability in all weathers, however these radios can be chained together and used back-to-back which increases the range and scope of connectivity without compromising capacity or availability. As part of the trial Virgin Media also tested and optimised the wireless trunk signal in a range of weather conditions including 80mph winds and 30mm rainfall to ensure the connection remained stable throughout.
Virgin Media expects further trials of this technology to commence later this year.