backhaul

Xohm adds more backhaul

Sue Marek — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:14:59 -0400

Sprint inked a deal with Ciena Corp. to use the company's carrier Ethernet platform as one of the backhaul solutions for its 4G WiMAX network, Xohm. The company said that it's focused on Ciena's next-gen Ethernet-based architecture because it believes it will give Xohm the efficiency and cost advantage that it needs.

It's no secret that backhaul capacity is a big issue for the deployment of 4G networks. Without the right amount of backhaul, the speeds offered by 4G are negated. Earlier this year, Sprint Nextel said provisioning of backhaul was the primary hold-up to the operator's nationwide deployment of Xohm.

However, Ciena isn't the only backhaul solution that Sprint is using. In July, the company announced a deal with DragonWave for its Horizon Compact and Horizon Duo products. Those products were to be used (at least initially) in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. and Chicago markets.

For more:
- see this press release

Related articles:
Sprint goes with DragonWave for Xohm backhaul
Sprint may triple backhaul assets

T-Mobile USA expands UMTS footprint

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:58:36 -0400

T-Mobile USA is expanding the reach of its UMTS footprint by pushing into 13 new metropolitan areas. The company said it was on track to expand to 27 major markets by the end of 2008.

The move came as T-Mobile also announced a series of new backhaul agreements to transport the high-speed data traffic.

T-Mobile currently has UMTS access in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, the New York metro area, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and San Diego and plans to expand to Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle later this fall. The backhaul agreements are meant to increase bandwidth and access of applications using HSDPA technology as well as to expand service in Tampa, Orlando, South Florida, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Memphis.

All of this is meant to boost T-Mobile's 3G presence as it fights with AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless for market share and plays catch up in deploying high-speed data services.

For more:
- see this article and release

Related Articles:
T-Mobile USA's 3G: Better late than never?
With little fanfare, T-Mobile launches 3G in New York

Backhaul vendor Ceragon posts jump in revenues, net income

Lynnette Luna — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:30:40 -0400

Backhaul vendor Ceragon Networks reported a 48 percent jump in revenues and a 50 percent increase in net income for the second quarter, a sign that the demand for improved backhaul in the midst of higher data consumption and the construction of higher speed data networks such as HSPA and Mobile WiMAX is there. Ceragon, which markets TDM-based and Ethernet microwave backhaul systems to cellular and WiMAX operators, said revenues came in at $55.2 million, which was 47.9 percent better than the previous year. Analysts had expected sales of $49.5 million.

Ceragon said growth was particularly strong in the Asia-Pacific region and through its OEM partners. For instance, sales through Nokia Siemens Networks accounted for more than 10 percent of its revenues in the second quarter.

For more:
- read Unstrung

Related stories:
Research: Ethernet-based mobile backhaul lags. Ethernet backhaul story
T-Mobile boosts backhaul to handle HSDPA. Backhaul story

Kathy Walker - Top Women in Wireless

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:26:50 -0400

Kathy Walker

Chief network officer, Sprint

Long-time Sprint veteran Kathy Walker knows the ins and outs of telecom networks. Early in her career she climbed telephone towers and today she oversees the planning, designing and operations of Sprint's wireless and wireline networks.

Maintaining these two networks-which are core assets for Sprint-is no easy task and Walker has often been on the hot seat lately regarding Sprint's backhaul assets and its deployment of QChat, the push-to-talk technology from Qualcomm that runs over the company's 1xEV-DO network.

But like many top executives, Walker handles the pressure with grace. At a recent Bear Stearns media conference in Florida, Walker assured investors that Sprint's network enhancements were on track and told the media that the firm's new Simply Everything plan that offers unlimited voice and data for $99 per month would not impact network capacity.

Sprint: Baltimore gets commercial WiMAX in Sept.

Lynnette Luna — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:59:55 -0400

Speaking at the WiMAX Forum Global Congress in Amsterdam, Sprint Nextel CTO and president of the company's Xohm WiMAX business, said its first commercial WiMAX service will go live in September in Baltimore ahead of its merger with Clearwire. Commercial service in Chicago and Washington, DC will follow in the fourth quarter. The announcement isn't surprising given the fact that these markets were soft launched earlier this year.

West said that more than 575 WiMAX base station sites are operating and a number of devices are moving through its testing labs. "It's the only [communications] technology I know where the chipset evolution for devices is going faster than the infrastructure," he said. West told telecoms.com that the devices available at commercial launch will include a Samsung card, a ZyXEL modem, a ZTE USB dongle and the Nokia N810 Internet tablet along with WiMAX embedded laptops.

Sprint missed its original commercial launch target of April, citing problems provisioning backhaul. West said the problems have now been solved as the company has been successful at securing backhaul capacity through fiber-optic and microwave links.

For more:
- read telecoms.com

Related stories:
Backhaul, billing causes of Xohm delay. Xohm story
Sprint and Clearwire merge WiMAX networks. WiMAX story

Ubiquitous networks and the path to 4G

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:31:28 -0500

Operators are still in the midst of upgrading their networks to 3G but vendors are already touting the benefits of LTE, WiMAX and other 4G-type technologies. In fact, a keynote session on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. will be devoted to "Ubiquitous Networks" and feature speakers such as Carl-Henric Svanberg, CEO of Ericsson and Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm.

Last year we heard a lot about WiMAX, which was surprising since this conference was once a GSM-dominated event. This year we expect to hear more on the business case for WiMAX and how the technology is fitting for underserved areas of the world. "There are plenty of parts of the world without broadband," says Scott Wickware, vice president of carrier networks, marketing and strategy at Nortel. "This is a cheaper way to offer broadband."

Of course, LTE will be making headlines. The LTE/SAE Trial initiative (which is made up of key vendors and operators such as Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Nokia, Orange, Nortel, T-Mobile and Vodafone and others) announced Feb. 5 that it had completed its second round of LTE tests. Findings include field tests on prototype LTE systems show that devices can achieve download speeds exceeding 100 Mbps and high performance systems using 4x4 MIMO antennas can push this to beyond 300 Mbps. Look for vendors and operators to be expanding on the LTE/SAE findings.

Of course, as mobile broadband networks become more widely deployed, we can expect more focus on backhaul. In fact, Wickware says that one of the biggest concerns operators have when it comes to deploying 4G is how to backhaul the traffic. "Backhaul technologies haven't always kept up with the innovation on the radio side. Now many operators are looking at using fiber to their base stations," Wickware says.

Newcomer Exalt Communications announced this week the release of a native TDM and IP licensed backhaul product that company executives believe will be beneficial to operators because it allows them to provision according to what their traffic needs are. Exalt will be talking about their new line of backhaul products at the show.

There is even a session devoted to backhaul technologies. "Beating the Backhaul Challenge" will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 11:40 a.m. and features speakers from Nortel, Alcatel-Lucent, BelAir Networks, Harris Stratex Networks and more.--Sue

Carriers: Don't neglect backhaul assets

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

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Carriers: Don't neglect backhaul assets

As wireless operators increase the bandwidth of their transport networks to allow for more data and voice traffic, they have to carefully monitor their backhaul infrastructure. Too little backhaul capacity and carriers risk putting a stranglehold on their network traffic. In other words, it doesn't do much good to fatten the transport pipes if you aren't planning to also increase your backhaul capacity.

Sprint has said that it expects to triple its backhaul assets. At the company's Technology Summit in August, Kathy Walker, Sprint's Chief Network Officer, said that currently more than 95 percent of the company's backhaul traffic is handled by the local exchange carrier and 5 percent by alternative sources. That equation will change and will likely include such alternatives as cable, microwave and fiber.

That message was reiterated at the FierceMarkets backhaul event "Beyond T1: Evaluating Backhaul Options" held earlier this week in Dallas. Clearly, operators are looking at the various alternatives to T1 backhaul and it's unlikely that they will choose just one solution. Ã‚Â

But managing all these different backhaul technologies will likely be a challenge for operators. Many of our panelists at the conference said that this could signal a growing opportunity for systems integrators because few carriers have employees well versed in all types of backhaul technology. Ã‚Â This, of course, may also signal a growing opportunity for dedicated backhaul networks such as FiberTower. The company recently signed a deal with Sprint to backhaul for seven of its WiMAX launch markets.

But it isn't just the growth of traffic that is driving operators to look at other backhaul technologies. Tony Kent, senior vice president, engineering and network operations at Cellular South, emphasized the need for operators to deploy backup backhaul technology at their cell sites for disaster recovery. Kent said that during Hurricane Katrina his company had some network outages and many were caused by the company's dependency on T1 backhaul. Kent advises operators to plan, test, prepare and train for disasters and to make sure that they have redundancy in their backhaul.

I expect we'll hear more about backhaul in the coming year as vendors develop and launch new backhaul products and operators slowly update their backhaul assets to include some of these alternative technologies. I don't think that operator's will make the transition away from T1s as much as supplement their existing backhaul with other options. -Sue

Metric: Cellular backhaul CAPEX $23B by 2012

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:59:54 -0400

According to a report from ABI Research, capital expenditure on cellular backhaul will reach $23 billion by 2012, up from slightly more than $14 billion today. ABI predicts that by 2012 Eastern Europe will have replaced Western Europe as the leading backhaul spenders, followed by the APAC region.

"Today, most networks across the globe are still using T1 for backhaul, but in the next five years there will be a significant migration to Ethernet-based solutions and microwave," ABI's senior analyst Nadine Manjaro said. "Microwave will be the dominant backhaul technology in four of the five regions studied. However, North America will migrate to Ethernet-based solutions and Latin America will continue to depend on T1."

Manjaro claims that North America will break the microwave trend because of the high cost of real estate to mount antennas as well as the high cost per megabit.

For more on cellular backhaul:
- check out this press release from ABI
- come to FierceMarkets' backhaul event: Evaluating Backhaul Options

Related Articles:
Sprint may triple backhaul assets. Article
FiberTower inks WiMAX backhaul deal with Sprint. Article
Rethinking backhaul. Editorial

Xohm Steals the Spotlight

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Xohm Steals the Spotlight
At Sprint's Technology Summit yesterday, the carrier provided status reports on several technology initiatives including backhaul, the Pivot cable joint venture and push-to-talk. But if you read yesterday's news reports from the summit you probably thought the two-hour event was entirely focused on Xohm, Sprint's new name for its WiMAX network and service. Xohm is clearly the headline-grabber for a number of reasons. It's using a new technology. It's being deployed in a new spectrum band--the 2.5 MHz band. And most importantly, it's introducing a game-changing business model for licensed wireless services.

Critics and competitors say Sprint is taking some risks with its open access model. The company says it will let any WiMAX-certified device on the network (no need for Sprint to certify them) and the company envisions embedded WiMAX chips being included in all types of devices--cars, laptops, cameras, etc. When people turn on their WiMAX-capable devices, they will be directed to Sprint's network. They won't have to be "activated" by the Sprint network but will be able to "self-activate" in a fashion similar to how you can get WiFi access when you turn on a WiFi embedded laptop. Plus Sprint will have lots of different package options.

In fact, it's because of this new model that Barry West, chief technology officer and president of Sprint's 4G Mobile Broadband Unit, says the company has spent so much time and effort on the back office system to make sure that rogue devices will not be allowed access. "The back office is a unique challenge. It's a new model," West says.

West clearly is passionate about WiMAX and he's ready to defend his technology choice. He claims critics and competitors are in "WiMAX denial" and he says that WiMAX is clearly winning the race with more than 350 WiMAX trials in place worldwide.

West and the other Sprint executives also touted the company's agreement with Clearwire, in which the two firms have decided to jointly construct and sell their WiMAX services. Chairman and CEO Gary Forsee said that the Clearwire deal will bring greater efficiency and help lower network development and operating costs.

We'll be discussing the pros and cons of the Clearwire/Sprint deal during a Webinar I'm moderating on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 2 PM EST. My guests, Peter Jarich of Current Analysis, Mo Shakouri of the WiMAX Forum and Arthur Giftakis of Towerstream, will talk about the pros and cons of this alliance and the economies of scale that this reciprocal relationship will provide to the WiMAX ecosystem. To register, click on this link. -Sue

Sprint may triple backhaul assets

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:59:54 -0400

Sprint's Xohm WiMAX service promises to deliver a lot of capacity for a variety of applications. But that capacity isn't much good to users if the back end network can't handle all the traffic. That's why Sprint is busy overhauling its backhaul network in preparation for the extra traffic generated by Xohm.

At yesterday's Sprint Technology Summit, Sprint Chief Network Officer Kathy Walker said that currently more than 95 percent of the company's backhaul traffic is handled by the local exchange carrier and about 5 percent is handled by alternative sources. But with WiMAX, she expects the higher bandwidth requirements will force the company to look at alternative backhaul options including microwave, cable and fiber. "We could triple the number of assets in our backhaul equation," Walker said.

Walker also said that the company is forging relationships with alternative backhaul providers. She cited the firm's recent deal with FiberTower, as one example of its strategy. Sprint inked a deal with FiberTower earlier this month to provide backhaul for seven of its WiMAX markets.

FiberTower President and CEO Michael Gallagher will be one of the many executives speaking at FierceMarkets backhaul event in Dallas on Oct. 2. The event, "Beyond T1: Evaluating Backhaul Options" will also feature Cellular South's Tony Kent and Michael Lanza of Nextlink Wireless. Check out the agenda here.

For more on backhaul:
- FiberTower inks backhaul deal for Sprint's WiMAX Article
- Rethinking backhaul Editorial
- DragonWave debuts backhaul solution Article

Ntelos to upgrade to REV A

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:59:55 -0400

CDMA operator Ntelos is planning to upgrade its network to 1xEV-DO Rev. A. The carrier, which is headquartered in Waynesboro, Va., signed an $88 million pact with Alcatel-Lucent, which will provide Rev. A gear. Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent will provide its IP/MPLS solution, which includes the 7750 Service Router and 7450 Ethernet Service Switch to deploy an IP routing and IP RAN backhaul solution.

For more on the Ntelos deal:
- see this CNNMoney story

Related articles:
Qualcomm launches consumer portal via Ntelos. Article

DEALS: FiberTower will provide backhaul for Sprint's WiMAX network

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:59:52 -0400

DEALS
WHO	WITH	WHAT	SCOOP
Verizon Wireless	Rural Cellular	Verizon Wireless is acquiring RCC for $2.67B	RCC's customer base is 716,000 and it operates in about 15 states.
Prexar	Amp'd	Prexar has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Amp'd assets as the MVNO has filed Chapter 11.	Amp'd subscribers who move to the Prexar network can for the most part continue using their existing mobile handsets, and have their choice from a suite of calling and text messaging plan options.
FiberTower	Sprint	FiberTower will provide backhaul for Sprint's WiMAX network.	The agreement calls for FiberTower to deploy commercial ethernet services, which the company claims is a first for any mobile backhaul provider.
Citi	Obopay	Citi and Obopay will trial a p2p payment platform in Chicago and Boston.	Trial participants can send each other payments, add money to their accounts via text, check balances and view payments histories.

FiberTower inks backhaul deal for Sprint's WiMAX

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:59:55 -0400

FiberTower has inked a deal with Sprint to provide the carrier with wireless backhaul services, or transport from cell site to switch, in seven of Sprint Nextel's initial launch markets for WiMAX. The agreement calls for FiberTowerÃ‚Â to deploy commercial ethernet services, which the company claims is a first for any mobile backhaul provider. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Sprint plans on rolling out its WiMAX service in Chicago, Boston, Providence, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and others.

For more on the deal:
- read this press releaseÃ‚Â

Rethinking backhaul

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Rethinking backhaul
I suspect I may be the first editor to write a commentary on backhaul. It's not a particularly controversial subject, nor is it a sexy topic. But backhaul, which is defined as carrying voice traffic from the cell site to the network core, is drawing a lot of interest from wireless operators. The reason is simple--money. Specifically, vendors see an opportunity to make money by selling backhaul solutions to wireless operators that are looking for cost-saving backhaul solutions.

Emmy Johnson, analyst with Skylight Research, says that carriers spend between 12 percent and 18 percent of their capital expenditures on backhaul every year and that figure could rise to as much as 25 percent in the future as carriers deploy 3G and 4G technologies and their data and voice traffic increases dramatically. When you hear figures like this, it's not surprising that everyone is talking about backhaul.

Of course, T1 lines have long been the dominant technology used by U.S. operators for backhaul, but Johnson thinks that trend is going to change. She says currently most cell sites support four to eight T1 lines but when traffic increases, these cell sites will need to support 16 to 32 T1 lines or more. This extra capacity demand will force operators to decide whether they should lease additional T1s or own the backhaul transport mechanism by using other technologies such as microwave links and wireless mesh networks.

Tier 1 operator Sprint is considering an assortment of options. The company is committed to not being dependent upon T1 lines, which makes sense since Sprint doesn't have a wireline arm like its competitors Verizon and AT&T. Durga Satapathy, manager, next generation access in Sprint's Technology Development team, says that Sprint will leverage multiple architectures and technologies (wired and wireless) to provide backhaul for the company's new and legacy networks.

I'm certainly not a backhaul expert, but I find it intriguing that U.S. operators are finally starting to look beyond the T1 when it comes to selecting their next-gen backhaul options. If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of different backhaul solutions, click here to view an archive of the FierceWireless Webinar on backhaul.

I hosted the event yesterday with Johnson, Satapathy and Ken Izatt, Alcatel-Lucent's business development manager in the wireless transmission division. I think you'll find their comments and presentations interesting, I certainly did. Look for more from FierceWireless on operators' backhaul dilemmas. We're hosting an executive summit on backhaul in Dallas on Oct. 2. I personally put together the agenda. Check it out, here. -Sue

DragonWave debuts backhaul solution

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 20:01:35 -0400

U.S. wireless operators are taking a close look at wireless backhaul solutions that use common carrier spectrum (between 11 GHz to 38 GHz band) because it's economical and easy to deploy. Building on that interest, DragonWave today introduced a new Horizon Compact Gigabit Ethernet microwave transmission system that provides 800 Mbps full-duplex capacity.

DragonWave Vice President of Product Marketing Alan Solheim says that this type of backhaul appeals to operators because it uses licensed spectrum but it's affordable. For example, common carrier spectrum can be purchased for about $100 per link, which is much more economical than using 3G spectrum for wireless backhaul.

In addition, DragonWave's solution is "zero footprint," which Solheim says means that it can be integrated into a base station and doesn't require additional space at the cell site. DragonWave is working with various infrastructure vendors to integrate its backhaul solution into their base stations.

So far DragonWave has made inroads with alternative wireless operators such as NextWave Broadband but it is also hoping to attract business from traditional wireless operators. -Sue

For more information on backhaul trends:
- see FierceWireless' backhaul Webinar on April 12 at 2 p.m. EST

FEATURE: Meeting customer expectations means optimizing network backhaul and transport

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 20:01:32 -0400

Starting off life with a mobile phone in their pockets, Echo Boomers (born between the early 1980s and 1995) are the first generation to grow up in the Digital Age. Their lifestyles demand advanced, high-bandwidth wireless applications. To stay competitive, service providers must support advanced services to retain the loyalty of this large and lucrative demographic.

Industry analysts forecast dramatic growth in 3G high-speed mobile data subscriber connections. This projection poses a risk for service providers: revenue growth may be outpaced by the costs required to provide sufficient network capacity.

Anticipating market demand, service providers are migrating from second-generation (2G) to third-generation (3G) networks. This migration is forcing technology change within the network, both in the radio access network (RAN) and in the mobile core.

In a 3G migration, service providers have several objectives for RAN backhaul networks. First, rapidly and cost-efficiently deploy 3G services. Second, invest once and then leverage this investment into the future. Third, lower RAN transport costs through Ethernet backhauling.

To meet these objectives, service providers are grappling with multiple evolution paths. Often, use of existing backhaul infrastructure is the best solution.

T-1 transmission is the dominant transport service used for mobile backhaul solutions. Enhancements to the current backhaul equipment enable operators to leverage the existing infrastructure by delivering higher bandwidth services over bonded T-1 pairs and by making more efficient use of capacity. Also Ethernet over synchronous optical network (SONET) enhancements make the reuse of existing SONET platforms more cost-efficient for the delivery of Ethernet connectivity. As traffic demand grows and data services begin to dominate, service providers will not rely purely on SONET or T-1s. They will require new multi-protocol label switching (MPLS)-based platforms that are optimized for mobile data traffic.

Time division multiplexing (TDM), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and now Ethernet are present in GSM networks. As the RAN evolves from GSM to UMTS, service providers must backhaul and aggregate all three types of traffic as efficiently as possible. GSM service providers that efficiently adapt existing infrastructure to perform this aggregation will benefit by minimizing expenses and maximizing the speed of service deployment.

In a similar way, CDMA networks are evolving. CDMA is moving from frame-based protocols and T-1 transport to bonded T-1 pairs and eventually to Ethernet-based transport. Backhaul solutions must support efficient migration of the existing infrastructure towards Ethernet to minimize expenses.

As the RAN evolves toward packet-based networks, the mobile core network is going through a similar evolution. ATM in the mobile core has the same issues as in the RAN when transporting high-bandwidth data. It is burdened with a "cell tax" and data overhead on the network. And with ATM, the core is not IP-aware, so service providers would have to maintain two topologies, one for IP and one for ATM, increasing the network's complexity.

Here, IP/MPLS is becoming the choice core network. Using this technology, one network can carry multiple services with a single management system. MPLS was designed with multi-service capabilities in mind, which means that it can transport all the different services in one infrastructure.\An IP/MPLS network can be traffic-engineered to deliver multiple levels of QoS for different services, giving high priority to some while allocating best-effort to others. MPLS provides true Quality of Service (QoS) for voice and premium data services.

Driven by new subscriber expectations, the migration from 2G to 3G wireless technologies is in full swing. The most advanced 3G applications will drive more bandwidth to the mobile phone. Mobile backhaul networks must accommodate this growth.

The process is causing a fundamental change in the backhaul network to support these high-bandwidth services. It affects the network from end-to-end, from cell site clear through to the switching core. This change requires a true multi-service architecture that can support voice and premium data services.

Service providers must find a cost-efficient way to rapidly migrate from their existing 2G networks to 3G technology. This migration must be done with lower infrastructure investments and without impacting resulting revenue growth.

The result is an IP/Ethernet-driven network starting with data-centric upgrades to the existing backhaul equipment and ending with deployment of MPLS-based multi-service routing devices for Ethernet-based backhaul. The optimal mobile core network is built with MPLS-based multi-service routers from the start of 3G migration. The MPLS control plane guarantees QoS across the network and supports multiple services including voice, data and more advanced applications based on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

Ultimately, this means one thing: Echo Boomers' demands are fully met and service providers are ready for the next wave of applications.

Antti Kankkunen is vice president, Network Evolution, Office of the CTO, with Tellabs.

SPOTLIGHT: Andrew buys Precision Antennas for $26M

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 20:01:25 -0400

Andrew purchased Precision Antennas for $26 million. Precision is the division of U.K. aerospace and defense group Cobham that specializes in the development and manufacture of microwave antenna systems used primarily for cellular backhaul. Cellular backhaul is becoming a primary focus of carriers as a way to significantly reduce operating costs. Article

BelAir introduces wireless mesh backhaul solution

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:01:35 -0500

Massive subscriber growth and the rise of high-speed data applications are putting a big strain on T1 backhaul costs for operators. WiMax has been touted as a cheaper solution, but what about WiFi mesh technology? BelAir Networks announced the industry's first wireless mesh backhaul solution for mobile operators that support direct connection to GSM or 3G microcell and picocell base stations through a T1/E1 circuit emulation modules. BelAir says wireless mesh can achieve significant savings over the dedicated wired T1 and E1 lines typically used. According to industry analysts, transport costs, including backhaul expense, can comprise as much as 24 percent of operator revenue. The wireless mesh solution also allows for the creation of hotspots using the same BelAir nodes used for backhaul.

To find out more about BelAir's wireless mesh backhaul solution:
- check out the company's release

Sprint launches wireless backup service

Sun, 17 Jul 2005 20:01:37 -0400

Sprint today launched added wireless access to its PCS Data Link business offering. The new wireless service expansion will give Sprint's enterprise customers a wide area data connection using the carrier's CDMA-based data network. Put simply, this means that Sprint PCS Data Link customers will be able to use Sprint's CDMA network as a primary or backup connection source for both fixed and mobile locations. The service uses a small wireless modem that ties into an enterprise's current network infrastructure to provide either direct backhaul or act as a backup when the primary landline backhaul is interrupted. Initial devices will be available for between $250 and $400 using the carrier's CDMA2000 1xrtt network. Sprint said it plans to add EV-DO backhaul to the service once the carrier's network is available in sufficient number of markets.

For more on Sprint's new wireless data backhaul service:
- check out this press release

SPOTLIGHT: Share Your 3G with the Junxion Box

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 20:01:25 -0400

The Junxion Box is a WiFi access point that lets users share their wide area 3G data connection with friends and colleagues. The device allows people to set up hotspots where landline backhaul is not available. Entertainers and production crews are flocking to the Junxion Box as a solution for mobile Internet access. Article