Backhaul (telecommunications)
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In telecommunications, backhauling is concerned with transporting traffic between distributed sites (typically access points) and more centralised points of presence.
Examples include:
- Connecting wireless base stations to the corresponding base station controllers.
- Connecting DSLAMs to the nearest ATM or Ethernet aggregation node.
- Connecting a large company's site to a metro Ethernet network.
- Connecting a submarine communications cable system landing point (which is usually in a remote location) with the main terrestrial telecommunications network of the country being landed in.
The choice of backhaul technology must take account of such parameters as capacity, cost, reach, and the need for such resources as frequency spectrum, optical fibre or rights of way. Backhaul technologies include:
- Point-to-point microwave transmission (terrestrial or, in some cases, by satellite)
- Point-to-multipoint microwave access technologies, such as LMDS, WiFi, WiMAX, etc., can also be used for backhauling purposes
- Dark fibre
- Various DSL variants, such as ADSL and SHDSL
- PDH and SDH/SONET interfaces, such as (fractional) E1/T1, E3, T3, STM-1/OC-3, etc.
- Ethernet
Backhaul capacity can also be leased from another network operator, in which case the choice of technology is generally made by this other network operator.
