BridgeWave Communications introduced its FlexPort family of high-capacity 80 GHz radios for mobile backhaul.
The FlexPort operates in the high-frequency 80 GHz spectrum to provide up to 1.5 Gbps of capacity for backhaul of both native IP and TDM traffic. Bridgewave plans to release an update in Q3 that will boost this backhaul capacity to up to 2.6 Gbps. The company said that multi-gigahertz allocations in the 80 GHz frequency band make possible these multi-gigabit transmission rates. And unlike bandwidth-constrained microwave or newer Ethernet radios, the multi-gigabit capacity of its FlexPort makes it suitable for 4G backhaul.
FlexPort is a single Outdoor Unit (ODU) platform that connects to existing TDM-based mobile base stations while simultaneously supporting full-rate gigabit IP transport.
Key features include:
- Simultaneous transmission of up to four native SONET/SDH payloads and gigabit Ethernet streams over a single RF carrier.
- As cell density increases, FlexPort offers the ability to tune anywhere in the 80 GHz band, greatly simplifies network planning.
- FlexPort utilizes QPSK modulation, providing improved spectral use compared to other 80 GHz solutions. This translates to lower licensing costs as well as better frequency reuse/conservation of the 80 GHz resource.
- Carrier Ethernet Management — FlexPort’s Carrier Ethernet Network Management (Ethernet OAM & CFM) enables end-to-end management and monitoring required by carrier-class next-generation networks.
The FlexPort family of carrier-class gigabit wireless systems will be available in the second quarter. BridgeWave noted that it holds greater than 70 percent market share in the 80 GHz space.