Broadband millimeter wave networks: Architectures and applications

The millimeter (mm) wave band from 60-95 GHz has the potential of transforming the broadband landscape by enabling multiGigabit indoor and outdoor wireless links, thus essentially closing the gap in speed between wireless and wireline communication technologies. In particular, the 60 GHz ldquooxygen absorptionrdquo band is ideally suited for short-range indoor (up to 10 meters range) and outdoor (up to 500 meters range) links at rates ranging from 1-5 Gbps, while the 70-95 GHz band enables long-range outdoor links (up to several kilometers range) whose rates can reach up to optical speeds of 40 Gbps. While mm wave technology has been employed in the past for military communication and radar, what makes it commercially interesting today is that implementation of mm wave transceivers in low-cost silicon semiconductor technology is now on the cusp of feasibility. In this paper, we illustrate the potential impact of mm wave communication technology on the telecom infrastructure in the context of two possible applications: last mile ldquowireless fiberrdquo links, and multiGigabit metro mesh networks.