Cambium Networks

Wireless That Just Works

30-30-30 Performance Boost with PMP 450

By Matt Mangriotis

The goal of every wireless ISP is to be able to offer excellent service at competitive prices. Our latest software advances enable ISPs who are using our fixed wireless technology to boost speed and offer over 100 Mbps service plans without replacing equipment. This software upgrade is available free of charge to our service provider customers using PMP 450 technology.

Hundreds of WISPs attended a recent webinar to learn about the new capabilities and the easy process to enable them in their networks. These updates will allow the providers to add more subscribers, reach farther, reduce churn and stay competitive. It will even allow them to increase bandwidth to their subscribers where it’s really needed. We call these improvements 30-30-30 because it’s easy to remember.

The most recent software (System Release 22.0.1) includes a feature called Multiple Groups per Frame (MGPF), which can improve efficiency, total throughput and help reduce latency of a 450m sector by as much as 30%. It’s really beneficial during the busy hour on a heavily loaded sector. Evidence of these gains are being posted by many customers on our community forum in “this thread” [can you insert the link to the MGPF thread]. In fact, Cody Anderson, Director of Network Operations, InfoWest says, “We have seen about a 50 Mbps downlink throughput increase on a loaded 3 GHz PMP 450m, with an overall decrease in latency during maximum utilization. Nice to see!”

In the next release (R22.1) expected in a few weeks, the engineering team has found a way to utilize an extra downlink symbol for data, improving the overall sector throughput by another 7-10%. These two features make up the first “30”.

The second 30 is an increase in range of 30+ percent, which comes from a larger antenna that can be attached to the 450b connectorized radio. We are testing both a 2-foot and 3-foot parabolic antenna that can increase range by as much as 50%. These won’t be for every deployment but could come in handy in some key situations.

Finally, the third 30 increases throughput to the end user, by allowing the system to properly “fill the pipe” when using a wide channel. 33% or more data can be pushed through a 450b or 450i SM radio if configured to 40 MHz channels, with the most improvement seen using 5ms frame timing. This feature is expected with R23.1, targeted for the end of the year.

All of these improvements combined allow Operators using the PMP 450 platform to continue offering great service and increase their ability to provide great internet to more customers, all at no extra cost to them.

During the webinar we conducted a quick poll about government funding. More than 80% of the WISPs reported that they prefer to control spending and tun a profitable business with little or no funding. Not surprising, based on the conversations that I have had with WISPs over the years.

Poll Question Results: What impact does government funding have on your level of investment in network infrastructure? 

  • 16%       A lot, I’m willing to spend more than I would normally
  • 41%       Some, I might invest a little more than normal
  • 42%       None, because I need a sustainable business model without subsidies

Join in the conversation. Add your questions and comments or download the slides from the webinar on this thread on the Cambium Networks community.

For thousands of WISPs around the world, our Point-to-Multipoint fixed wireless broadband products provide the infrastructure for business and residential connectivity. Over the more than 20 years of listening to and collaborating with WISPs, and with more than 2 million PMP 450 modules shipped, Cambium Networks’ development teams have reduced the cost per Mbps delivered per user by 96% from $50.62 per user in 2008 to $2.24 per user with these latest improvements.

For more information on how Cambium Networks solutions deliver service that will delight your business and residential customers, check out the following:

Published March 21, 2023
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