South Africa’s wireless sector is well acquainted with what unlicensed 5GHz backhaul can deliver. For many wireless ISPs (WISPs), mining operations and distributed enterprises, the challenge is no longer access technology, but how to extend reliable, scalable backhaul capacity into areas where fibre is unavailable, delayed or economically impractical.
To address this challenge, SGT Solutions has entered into a strategic partnership with Astrawireless, aligning engineering expertise with purpose-built wireless backhaul technology designed for usable capacity over distance, rather than laboratory peak speeds.
Backhaul, not access, remains the real constraint
In rural and semi-rural environments, aggregation sites, repeater locations and remote facilities require multi-kilometre links capable of carrying sustained traffic growth. Short-range, peak throughput radios are often insufficient once real-world interference, spectrum congestion and environmental conditions are taken into account.
“Backhaul links must deliver predictable performance over distance,” says Suraj Ramlall, General Manager of SGT Solutions. “The priority is sustained throughput and link resilience – not headline speeds achieved under ideal conditions.”
A practical partnership focused on deployable solutions
Through this partnership, SGT Solutions is introducing the Quasar by Astrawireless as a practical backhaul solution for South African networks operating in the sub-6GHz band.
It's engineered around a simple principle: multi-gigabit speed over multi-kilometre distance. Rather than optimising radios purely for peak speeds, the platform focuses on maintaining usable capacity across long links under real spectrum conditions.
Supporting 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz and up to 160MHz channels, Quasar by Astrawireless allows operators to balance throughput with spectrum availability and interference levels.
Under favourable radio conditions, the platform can deliver:
- Multi-gigabit throughput up to ~2.1Gbps on 160MHz channels.
- Link distances up to ~38km with the integrated 29dBi antenna – and significantly further with external dishes.
SGT Solutions emphasises that real-world deployments are engineered conservatively, considering interference levels, noise floor, fade margin and regulatory EIRP limits – particularly in unlicensed spectrum.
Engineered for stability over distance
The Astrawireless Quasar platform has been selected not purely for capacity, but for distance performance and link resilience, which are critical attributes for backhaul networks. Integrated spectrum analysis, adaptive modulation and automatic power control enable consistent performance as environmental and spectrum conditions evolve.
“Backhaul radios underperform when they are engineered around ideal conditions,” Ramlall notes. “Our partnership with Astrawireless is based on deploying solutions that are stable, predictable and operationally sustainable over time.”
Preparing customers for future capacity – responsibly
Beyond current 5GHz deployments, SGT Solutions and Astrawireless are jointly preparing for the next phase of unlicensed backhaul capacity, centred on the lower portion of the 6GHz band. In South Africa, regulatory discussions are currently focused on spectrum up to 6 425MHz, rather than the full 6GHz-7GHz range adopted in some international markets. Any outdoor use of this band remains subject to ICASA approval and is not currently authorised.
SGT Solutions is clear that it is not advocating early deployment in unapproved spectrum. Instead, the partnership focuses on technical readiness, ensuring that operators can move quickly and compliantly when regulatory frameworks are finalised.
“When ICASA introduces new spectrum sharing or co-ordination mechanisms, the market will move quickly,” says Ramlall. “Our role, together with Astrawireless, is to ensure SGT Solutions can meet demand – without taking regulatory shortcuts.”
A partnership built for real-world networks
By combining SGT Solutions’ local engineering expertise and operational experience with Astrawireless’ purpose-built backhaul platforms, the partnership delivers a practical path for operators seeking to scale capacity, extend coverage and stabilise backhaul performance – today and into the future.
For more information on the solution, contact Dinesh Ramnarain @ dramnarain@sgtsolutions.co.za.
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