Point-to-point wireless links
A point-to-point wireless link carries data between two fixed points by radio, with no cable between them. Designed properly, it behaves like fibre. Designed badly, it drops every time the wind blows. CTTX surveys, designs, builds and monitors engineered links from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) across the Eastern Cape and South Africa.
Request a site survey Test your current speedWhat a point-to-point link is
Two radios with directional antennas, aimed at each other along a clear line of sight. One end sits where capacity already exists; the other at the site that needs it. A point-to-multipoint (PtMP) network uses one sector radio on a high site to serve several subscriber radios: the right shape for a farm with many buildings or a reserve with several lodges.
When wireless beats fibre or LTE
- Fibre stops short of the site and the trench or wayleave is measured in kilometres or months.
- LTE is marginal or contended. Cameras and SCADA need upload at the hours a shared cell is fullest.
- Two sites must be joined privately: office to warehouse, farmhouse to packhouse, lodge to lodge, on one private network.
- You need failover on a path that does not share the fibre duct.
Where fibre already reaches the building at a sensible cost, use it.
How far a link reaches, and which band it runs on
It depends on line of sight, terrain, frequency, antenna size and mast height. Short links in the licence-exempt 5 GHz band are routine. Paths of 10 to 30 km and longer are built with proper masts, larger antennas and, where needed, licensed spectrum.
A path that looks clear from the ground is often not clear enough: the Fresnel zone around the straight line must also be free of trees, roofs and rising ground. That is calculated at design.
Licensed and licence-exempt spectrum
ICASA regulates radio spectrum in South Africa. Some bands are licence-exempt under its technical rules on power and equipment; other microwave bands need a spectrum licence for the specific link. Licence-exempt is quicker and cheaper; licensed is protected from interference and carries fees. CTTX advises which fits your path; this is engineering guidance, not legal advice.
The CTTX process
1. Survey
Where the site is, where the nearest capacity is, and whether a path exists, measured on site against terrain data. R3,500 excluding VAT, credited if the build proceeds.
2. Terrain and Fresnel design
The path is profiled, Fresnel clearance calculated, and radios, band and mast heights chosen for the distance, capacity and weather.
3. High site or mast
Most marginal paths become good paths with height. Where there is no direct line of sight, a solar-powered relay on a koppie carries the link around the obstacle.
4. Build
Our own teams install masts, radios and power, align and test the link, and hand it over as your asset.
5. Monitoring
Signal, capacity and power are watched so a failing path is seen early.
What the link carries, and where we build
What goes down the link is your decision: office traffic and VoIP, CCTV and control-room video, SCADA from wind and solar plants, irrigation and packhouse systems, and guest networks and ranger comms on reserves.
CTTX is based in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and works across all nine provinces: the metro and Coega, the Sundays River Valley and Addo, the Karoo and the coastal wind corridor. On one 30,000 ha reserve our point-to-point backbone measures over 800 Mbps between lodges. Read the case study.
Get your path assessed
Send us the two points to be joined (town or GPS) and what the link must carry. We come back with a terrain-aware pre-assessment before anyone drives out.
Request a site survey Email sales@cttx.co.zaCommon questions
How far can a point-to-point wireless link go?
It depends on line of sight, terrain, frequency, antenna size and mast height. A few kilometres is routine in licence-exempt bands; 10 to 30 km and longer is built regularly with proper masts, larger antennas and, where needed, licensed spectrum.
Do I need a licence for a wireless link in South Africa?
Some bands are licence-exempt under ICASA's technical conditions and many business links run on them; other microwave bands need a spectrum licence for the specific link. The regulatory position is whatever ICASA publishes at the time; this is not legal advice.
What does a point-to-point link cost?
The build cost depends on distance, capacity, mast height and whether a relay is needed, so it is quoted after the survey. The site survey costs R3,500 excluding VAT and is credited back against the build if you proceed.
Fibre or wireless: which is better for my site?
Fibre where it already reaches the building at a sensible cost. Engineered wireless where fibre stops short, the trench crosses other land, or the wayleave takes months.
What happens to a wireless link in bad weather?
A correctly designed link keeps running. Heavy rain affects the higher microwave bands most, so the design carries a fade margin for the local climate. Wind matters more: an undersized mast that sways takes a link down before rain does. Both are decided at survey.
How long does it take to build a point-to-point link?
A simple link on existing structures is built in days once the design is signed off. A new mast, a relay high site or a spectrum licence adds lead time. The survey report gives a realistic timeline.