Large-Scale Geospatial Planning of Wireless Backhaul Links

In telecommunication networks, microwave backhaul links are often used as wireless connections between towers. They are used in places where deploying optical fibers is impossible or too expensive. The relatively high frequency of microwaves increases their ability to transfer information at a high rate, but it also makes them susceptible to obstructions and interference. When deploying microwave links, there should be a clear line of sight between every pair of receiver and transmitter, and a buffer around the line of sight defined by the first Fresnel zone should be clear of obstacles. In this paper we discuss the geospatial aspects of microwave backhaul planning and the challenges in developing a system for large scale planning, with the following requirements: (1) the need to cover all of the USA, (2) distance of up to 80 kilometers between towers, and (3) computing batches of thousands of pairs within a few minutes.