stc group, Saudi Arabia’s leading digital enabler, has partnered with Huawei to commercially deploy the world’s first Multi-Band Multi-Beam (MB²) microwave solution, marking a significant milestone in wireless backhaul innovation as the Kingdom continues to expand its 5G infrastructure.
The MB² solution enables a single antenna to operate across eight frequency bands, from 13 GHz to 38 GHz, while supporting up to 10 simultaneous microwave beams, allowing operators to connect multiple transmission directions using a single antenna. The approach can reduce antenna deployments by up to 90%, helping operators optimise tower space, lower structural loading and reduce site rental costs.
The deployment addresses one of the key challenges facing mobile operators as 5G adoption accelerates across Saudi Arabia. The rapid growth in base station density and mobile data traffic has increased demand for higher-capacity backhaul while limiting the ability to add additional antennas at existing sites.
According to the companies, the MB² solution enables a single antenna to support up to 10 microwave transmission directions across eight frequency bands—13 GHz, 15 GHz, 18 GHz, 23 GHz, 26 GHz, 28 GHz, 32 GHz and 38 GHz. In addition to reducing the number of antennas required, the platform simplifies deployment, shortens installation and alignment times and lowers the overall total cost of ownership (TCO).
The first commercial deployment in Saudi Arabia was initially configured with three transmission links. After establishing the first connection, engineers completed the second and third links in approximately 20 minutes each, compared with around three hours per link using conventional microwave systems. The solution also maintained stable performance under harsh environmental conditions, including temperatures reaching 50°C and strong winds.
The platform is designed to support future network expansion without additional antenna installations, enabling operators to activate up to 10 transmission directions as capacity requirements grow. This makes it particularly suitable for high-density 5G deployments where tower space and infrastructure efficiency are critical.
The deployment further strengthens the long-standing partnership between stc group and Huawei, with both companies aiming to accelerate network modernisation and support the delivery of next-generation digital services across Saudi Arabia.
