5G networks worldwide are entering a new stage. The initial deployment phase is giving way to a capacity-scaling phase, as global 5G adoption is expected to reach nearly 3 billion new connections over the next five years – around 57 percent of all mobile connections. This surge is exposing a new bottleneck: the backhaul layer that connects 5G sites to the core network.
Backhaul – combining microwave, optical, and fiber transport – is now at the heart of 5G economics. As traffic volumes double faster than during the 4G era, telecom operators are shifting capital toward intelligent transport networks that can handle high data loads while optimizing cost and energy efficiency.
Shroug Ganawa, Senior Analyst, Africa at GSMA Intelligence, said E-band spectrum is rapidly gaining traction for 5G backhaul, as countries including China, India, and Nigeria open it up to support high-capacity links over distances exceeding 10 km.
Shroug Ganawa, who attended the 4th global microwave industry forum in Casablanca, North Africa, said the adoption of E-band is now accounting for over 20 percent of global microwave backhaul shipments, up from just 1 percent in 2021, and its usage is expected to grow further as 5G traffic demand increases.
Operator initiatives driving transport and backhaul expansion
MTN Group
MTN is investing heavily in transport modernization, working with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to upgrade its 5G transport and enterprise connectivity. In Nigeria alone, MTN allocated more than USD 120 million to expand 5G population coverage from around 3 to 11 percent in one year. In South Africa, MTN is collaborating with Huawei on Net5.5G IP transport, integrating 400GE and SRv6 technologies for advanced routing.
Airtel Africa
Airtel Africa’s network carried more than 28,200 terabytes per day in the first half of 2024 through a combination of fiber and new site rollouts. Its parent company Bharti Airtel deployed a 51.2 Tbps DWDM backbone to support 5G expansion. Airtel’s FY25 capex of USD 875–900 million is primarily dedicated to backhaul, fiber, and site investments.
Orange Group
Orange continues to prioritize transport capacity upgrades, with around two-thirds of annual capex allocated to networks. Orange Poland raised its OTN transport capacity from 19.4 Tbps to 24.7 Tbps within a year, linked to the 2Africa subsea cable that adds 180 Tbps of backhaul capacity.
Vodafone Group
Vodafone’s microwave 5G link tests with Huawei achieved speeds exceeding 2 Gbps, reinforcing its strategy to combine fiber and microwave for scalable backhaul.
e& (Etisalat UAE)
Etisalat upgraded to Nokia’s 800GE IP transport with slicing features, while achieving a 13 Gbps downlink rate with Ericsson – key milestones toward a higher-capacity backhaul network.
China Mobile
China Mobile invested RMB 88 billion (USD 12–13 billion) in 5G infrastructure in 2023, with RMB 31.4 billion added in the first half of 2024. Its use of Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) reduces long-haul backhaul requirements and improves cost efficiency.
China Telecom
China Telecom continues joint infrastructure development with China Mobile, emphasizing fiber and backhaul orchestration for nationwide 5G coverage.
stc Group
stc’s 400G super-core routing network with Juniper delivers 43 percent power savings while expanding capacity. Its 5G coverage now spans 75 Saudi cities.
Telefonica
Telefonica, supported by Spain’s government programs, is expanding fiber-based backhaul for 5G in rural areas to close transport gaps.
America Movil
With USD 8.9 billion in 2023 and USD 7.1 billion in 2024 capex, America Movil’s investments include 5G and transport upgrades. Its 5G footprint in Mexico now covers 125 cities, serving over 12.8 million users.
Strategic focus for next-phase backhaul
Expanding high-capacity microwave and fiber backhaul for 5G and 5G-Advanced sites
Enhancing throughput and spectral efficiency through advanced modulation
Delivering enterprise-grade SLAs with latency-guaranteed backhaul
Lowering operational costs via AI-based planning, automation, and energy optimization
Vendors strengthening the global backhaul ecosystem
Nokia
Nokia secured a three-year deal with Vodafone Idea in India to deploy its IP/MPLS solutions (7750 SR and 7250 IXR) across core, aggregation, and access layers, upgrading the operator’s transport for 4G and 5G. In Austria, Nokia is rolling out a 10G/25G/100G optical transport network for illwerke vkw AG using its 1830 PSS photonic switch and DWDM/OTN technologies.
Huawei
Huawei’s OptiX OSN 9800 series was rated a “Leader” in GlobalData’s Core & Metro WDM assessment for 2025. At Network X NGON 2024, Huawei won the “Most Innovative Optical Transport Use Case” award for its 400G/800G backbone solutions. Its Net5.5G platform introduced at MWC 2024 includes enhanced mobile backhaul with 100GE access ring capabilities.
Ericsson
Ericsson’s Router 6000 series supports SRv6 and MPLS, helping operators reduce complexity in backhaul architecture while improving scalability for 5G and future 6G transitions.
Tejas Networks
India-based Tejas signed a three-year agreement with Vodafone Idea to supply TJ1400 and TJ1600 packet-optical transport systems for 4G/5G backhaul. The TJ1600 supports 100G–800G capacity and multi-wavelength operation, providing flexibility for large-scale deployments.
HFCL
India-based HFCL is supplying its DCR1100 IP/MPLS routers to Vodafone Idea to support 5G backhaul readiness, enabling each node to scale from 10 Gbps to 100 Gbps capacity.
Outlook
The next phase of 5G growth will be determined by how efficiently operators can expand their backhaul capacity. While fiber remains crucial, microwave technology is proving to be a scalable and cost-effective complement, especially in emerging markets. The consensus from industry forums such as the Casablanca Global Microwave Industry Forum is clear: microwave and fiber are now co-primary pillars of the 5G transport network.
The transport and backhaul layer has become the new competitive frontier – and the key to unlocking the next wave of 5G revenues.
Fasna Shabeer