BridgeWave Launches Range of 80 GHz Backhaul Radios

BridgeWave Communications says that it has launched a range of 80 GHz radios for mobile backhaul provision. Studies show that backhaul accounts for approximately 50 percent of mobile network operational costs. As a result, operators are demanding backhaul not only be robust and scalable to accommodate future application and capacity needs, but also highly cost effective.

"As carriers migrate to 4G networks, they will need to develop cost-effective backhaul strategies that do not forsake their legacy TDM investments while accounting for the stress that bandwidth hungry IP-based 4G applications will place on networks," said Earl Lum, president of EJL Wireless Research. "Mobile operators must take this "future-proofing" into account to address future bandwidth needs and network traffic flexibility to minimize network build-out costs and investments, resulting in more profitable mobile data services."

Operating in the 80 GHz frequency band, where multi-gigahertz allocations yield multi-gigabit transmission rates, FlexPort is a single Outdoor Unit (ODU) platform that connects today's TDM-based mobile base stations, while simultaneously supporting full-rate gigabit IP transport for tomorrow's 4G networks. FlexPort's innovation in the high-frequency 80 GHz spectrum provides up to 1.5 Gbps of capacity with planned product rollouts in the coming months for rates up to 2.6 Gbps - five to ten times the capacity of single-channel, lower licensed frequency products at significantly lower per megabit cost.

"Carriers are facing a perfect storm in 2009 with growing mobile traffic, the need to support native TDM and IP, public pressures and costs of 4G, and an economy that has yet to rebound," said Idan Bar Sade, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product Management at BridgeWave Communications. "This backdrop means carriers need a flexible product strategy that addresses the scalability and capacity issues for their networks today, while ultimately making their 4G initiatives competitive and profitable with a low total cost of ownership."

The FlexPort family of carrier-class gigabit wireless systems will be available in the second quarter.

Posted to the site on 24th March 2009