Ericsson has announced it has passed the three million mark in deliveries of its Mini-Link microwave device.
The first Mini-Link was installed in 1978 and the vendor passed the one million units sold benchmark around 30 years later. However, due to growing demand for microwave products, it took Ericsson just four years to deliver its next million units.
While the units were initially deployed to quickly build GSM networks during the 1990s, they have played a critical role in developing 4G LTE networks in recent years. Average capacity through Mini-Links have increased by a factor of 20 during the past 10 years, Ericsson said.
According to research from Infonetics last year, microwave accounts for 55 percent of the backhaul market. Meanwhile, ethernet microwave radio is set to have a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent between 2012 and 2017, the highest of any equipment segment, Infonetics said.
Karolina Wikander, Head of Product Line Microwave, Ericsson, commented: “We are committed to continuing to deliver microwave solutions for high performing networks while making the most of operator spectrum. Networks are constantly evolving and our MINI-LINK portfolio will continue to provide a future-proof solution for each part of the network.”
Ericsson, which leads the microwave market with a 25 percent market share, said it has been able to evolve the product to connect remote areas as well as build communication structures in disaster zones.