Fiber vs. Microwave Cost Model
Compare first-year and five-year total cost of ownership for fiber backhaul versus licensed microwave.
Fiber inputs
Microwave inputs
Total cost of ownership
Fiber TCO
Microwave TCO
Winner
Includes one-time and recurring costs over the selected term. Does not include cost of downtime or future capacity upgrades.
Cost per Gbps over term
Fiber
Microwave
When to pick what
- • Fiber wins when construction is reasonable and capacity needs are high.
- • Microwave wins when terrain blocks fiber or speed-to-deploy matters.
- • Many networks use fiber primary + microwave secondary for diversity.