August 22, 2026 – Huawei and Saudi telecom operator stc have successfully completed the world’s first commercial deployment of the Multi-Band Multi-Beam (MB²) microwave solution in Riyadh. This milestone marks a significant advancement in global microwave backhaul technology, specifically designed to address the surging base station density and mobile data traffic driven by Saudi Arabia’s ongoing 5G rollout.
The MB² solution is engineered to deliver multi-directional link transmission and expanded backhaul bandwidth without increasing site complexity. A single MB² antenna is compatible with eight major frequency bands ranging from 13GHz to 38GHz and can simultaneously support microwave links across 10 different directions. This high level of integration can reduce the number of required antennas by up to 90%. Consequently, operators can significantly save tower space, reduce structural load-bearing requirements, and lower tower rental fees. The drastic reduction in hardware also streamlines installation and alignment processes, ultimately driving down the total cost of ownership (TCO).
During this commercial deployment, stc and Huawei successfully established microwave links in three directions. Compared to traditional solutions, the installation and debugging time for adding second and third link directions was drastically reduced from three hours to just 20 minutes. Furthermore, the site can seamlessly scale up to 10 transmission directions in the future without the need for additional antenna equipment, perfectly aligning with the lightweight network construction requirements of high-density 5G sites. The robustness of the MB² solution has already been proven, as it maintains stable operation even under extreme environmental conditions, including 50°C heat and Force 6 winds.
