## 1 Introduction  
This invited paper is an extended version of the paper presented at the 42 nd Telecommunications and Signal Processing conference [1]. The paper investigates the recommended hop length and availability of microwave and millimeter-wave (\(\upmu\)/mmW) radio links operating in traditional and new frequency bands. In Sections 2 and 3, it is shown that, in addition to the preferred fiber-optical access, \(\upmu\)/mmW radio links continue to play an essential role in fronthaul and backhaul (commonly called \"anyhaul\") deployments of future mobile networks. In Section 4, a straightforward calculation method is given for the fade margin (FM) of the links by using radio equipment parameters and system gain (SG). Then, it is explained how to determine link availability from the calculated FM and for the given hop length by taking rain and atmospheric attenuation into account. In Section 5, maximum recommended hop-length curves are plotted as a function of rain-rate intensity for the different frequency bands. The paper--as a planning guideline--focuses on real deployment scenarios. Compared to earlier research and case studies, a general approach is presented for the practical link designs [1]. With the step-by-step calculation method presented, the different antenna size, the link polarization, and the used modulation modes can be taken into account. The presented calculation method and charts provide useful help in the planning phase of newly deployed \(\upmu\)/mmW links. The results also help in optimization projects, when existing links are shortened by rotating toward new fiber access points. For the first time, maximum hop-lengthvs vs. rain-rate curves are plotted that belong to the pre-determined availability of the radio links. Earlier, these calculationswere done using planning tools; here, the results are plotted by calculations of a simple Excel macro. The charts presented in Section 5 are illustrative examples, and the presented method can be used for any equipment and antenna combinations having different system and antenna gain values. Finally, in Section 6, an interesting conclusion is drawn; in Central/Eastern Europe, even smaller countries exhibit significant geographical variations of rainfall-rate intensities. Therefore, to maximize hop lengths for a given bit rate and SG, the local rainfall-rate statistics are recommended to be used during deployment and optimization. Finally, the calculation method is helpful in the monitoring phase of mobile anyhaul networks, when field results of the running \(\upmu\)/mmW links are compared to the planned parameters. The new radio access technologies (RATs) enable diverse services and different use cases in mobile networks (NWs). On one hand, the 5G (fifth-generation mobile) broadband services may require Gbps (Gigabit/second) peak data rates or even beyond. On the other hand, several critical services, e.g., remote control, robotics, or vehicular applications, require ultra-high reliability and low latency (Figure 1) [2]. Therefore, the deployment of 5G necessitates a quick expansion of the fiber-optical transport network, as well as the \(\upmu\)/mmW radio links in the entire mobile front- and backhaul [1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6]. The existing mobile anyhaul networks already provide the transmission capacity for the recently deployed Long-Term Evolution (LTE-A (Advanced), LTE) evolved Node-Bs, as well as the capacity for the legacy second- and third-generation (2G/3G) base stations in most of the countries [7; 8]. With the new 5G radio access points (RAPs), the density of sites is further increasing. Combined systems mesh various generations that are either legacy 2G sites, 3G Node-Bs, LTE eNode-Bs, or new 5G RAPs. The different RATs (or simply \"generations\") are frequently co-located to accelerate network rollouts, and they re-use earlier site investments to benefit from the capacity of the existing front- or backhaul.