Low SNR – More Bandwidth May Not Mean More Bandwidth Capacity

White Papers

More Bandwidth May Not Mean More Capacity

 

Be careful because the rate of increase in capacity rolls off at both very high and very low bandwidths.

 

Technology is opening up millimeter wave frequencies and everyone is looking for higher data throughputs, which can be achieved with wider bandwidths. So, is wide bandwidth millimeter wave going to be the answer? Well, maybe. The Shannon-Hartley Theorem directly links bandwidth and channel capacity, and millimeter frequencies are the most promising place to find that bandwidth.

 

However, the Shannon-Hartley formula also includes a signal/noise term, with important implications for RF power in real wireless systems. Specifically, if available transmitter power is a fixed quantity, extra bandwidth may not solve your problems.