What is microwave internet, and when should I use it?

Microwave internet delivers connectivity using line-of-sight radio links between two points, typically a rooftop dish at your premises and a tower or another dish at a network point of presence. Instead of light travelling through glass fibre or signal bouncing off cell towers, microwave uses a focused radio beam aimed directly between two antennas.

Why Businesses Choose Microwave

Microwave earns its place in a connectivity stack for a specific reason: speed of deployment without waiting for fibre trenching. Where fibre requires civil works, way-leaves and sometimes months of municipal approval, a microwave link can often be installed within days once line of sight is confirmed. This makes it the practical choice for:

• Buildings in industrial parks or CBDs where fibre hasn't reached yet
• Sites needing fast turnaround, such as a new branch opening on a deadline
• Locations where trenching is impractical, expensive, or blocked by property rights
• High-rise buildings where fibre is available in the area but not yet in the building

What Speeds to Expect

Modern licensed microwave links comfortably deliver from 10Mbps up to several hundred Mbps, with enterprise-grade links reaching 1Gbps on suitable frequency bands. Licensed spectrum (as opposed to unlicensed, congested bands) gives more predictable performance since you're not sharing frequency with every other unlicensed device in range.

Line of Sight Is Non-Negotiable

The single biggest constraint is physical: the two antennas need a clear, unobstructed path between them. A new building constructed between your site and the tower, a tree that grows over a few years, or even heavy infrastructure changes nearby can degrade or break a link. Before installation, a proper site survey confirms line of sight is achievable and stable long-term, not just on installation day.

Microwave and Load Shedding

Like any active network equipment, microwave radios need power at both ends of the link. A microwave link itself doesn't go down during load shedding, but the radio units and any switching equipment do need UPS backup to keep functioning through an outage window, same principle as any other connectivity type.

Where Innovo Fits

We deploy licensed microwave as both a primary connectivity option for sites where fibre isn't practical, and as a resilience layer alongside fibre for businesses that can't tolerate a single point of failure. Our engineers handle the site survey, link budget calculation and installation, and monitor link performance as part of our managed connectivity service.