Point-to-Point

Simple point-to-point links are the legacy architecture and arguably are not networks at all
since they do not permit any-to-any connectivity. This is the architecture that has been most
used in the upper microwave regions within the last few years, though it has a long prior history
in telecommunications.
For years and even decades, microwave operators have set up isolated links for LAN extension,
for connecting remote sites with the PSTN, and for cellular backhaul. Indeed it is often
forgotten today that microwave point-to-point links carried a large fraction of long-distance
telephone and data traffic prior to the introduction of fiber-optic networks in the 1980s.
Today point-to-point backhaul and point-to-point access for business high-rises comprise
a solid but slowly declining business, one that represents a poor utilization of network
resources. Simply put, a base station should serve a multitude of customers if it is to pay for
itself. Where point-to-point connections are indicated by the nature of the equipment, as in
the 60GHz band, then the best choice is to construct a sort of quasi-point-to-multipoint network
topology by placing multiple radios at the same site and sharing one router or switch
among all of them.