Typical Cell Site Backhaul 100 Mbps by 2015

The market for wholesale backhaul services in North America will grow from $2.45 billion in 2010 to $3.9 billion in 2015, with the majority of this growth coming from Ethernet backhaul, according to the Yankee Group.

Average macrocell backhaul requirements in North America were 10 Mbps in 2008 (seven T1s, five E1s). In less than three years, they have more than tripled to 35 Mbps in 2011, and by 2015, Yankee Group predicts they will demand 100 Mbps.

There were 2.4 million macro cell site backhaul connections worldwide in 2010, growing to 3.3 million by 2015.

Two of out every three rural cell towers already house at least two mobile operators. Suburban towers house up to six antennas, while urban towers can house 12 to 20. These may belong to multiple operators and represent different mobile service generations.