Microwave Link Planning for USO/N3T Telecommunication Sites Using Atoll Radio Planning Software

Microwave backhaul is a key solution for extending telecommunication connectivity in rural, frontier, and outermost (N3T) regions where fiber deployment is limited by terrain, cost, and accessibility. This study proposes a KPI-driven microwave link planning framework using Atoll radio planning software combined with field line-of-sight (LOS) verification. The methodology includes identifying multiple far-end (FE) candidates, conducting terrain-based LOS analysis, performing link budget simulations, and evaluating received signal level (RSL), fade margin, and link availability. The results show that although all candidate links satisfy basic LOS requirements, only selected configurations meet long-term reliability targets when assessed using availability and fade margin criteria. An 11 GHz microwave link over a medium-distance path achieves link availability above 99.99% with adequate fade margin, offering a balanced trade-off between performance and propagation robustness. Field LOS verification confirms strong agreement with simulation results. These findings demonstrate that Atoll-based, KPI-oriented planning supported by selective field validation provides an effective and practical approach for microwave backhaul deployment in N3T environments, contributing actionable insights for reliable and sustainable telecommunication infrastructure planning