Overview

No one ever pays much attention to the microwave radio dishes mounted on towers, on the sides of buildings, or any other place. This technology has been taken for granted over the years. However, this nondescript industry has quietly grown into a $4.6 billion global business annually with expectations that the market will reach approximately $10 billion by 2006. Table 17-1 is a possible breakdown of the distribution of wireless microwave services by category between 2002 and 2006.

Four major suppliers provide one-half of all the radio-based systems globally. Microwave has also become a vital link in the overall backbone networks over the years. Now, it has achieved new acclaim in the wireless revolution, relaying thousands of telephone conversations from place to place, bypassing the local landlines.

Microwaves (the actual radio waves) are between 1 mm and 30 cm long, and operate in a frequency range from 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Microwaves were first used in the 1930s, when British scientists discovered the application in a new technology called radar.

In the 1950s, microwave radio was used extensively for long-distance telephone transmission. With the need to communicate over thousands of miles, the cost of stringing wires across the country was prohibitive. However, the equipment was both heavy and expensive.