Exalt Communications, today announced its new sub-$5,000 ExtendAir microwave radio platform of entry-level licensed and license-exempt point-to-point systems.
Exalt says it’s the first time, that high-end performance, range and features including native TDM are available for under $5,000 per-link.
Designed for voice, data and video connectivity, Exalt ExtendAir is designed to help service providers, enterprises and government agencies. ExtendAir can be deployed anywhere new fiber, leased lines and traditional microwave are not economically viable, and where low-priced Ethernet bridges do not provide the required level of performance and reliability.
ExtendAir says it is the first entry-level microwave radio system to offer advanced features such as built-in Layer 2 switching, 3-port Ethernet, full-speed 256-bit AES encryption, Ethernet rate limiting and SNMPv3 management. ExtendAir says its native TDM capability is a first for license-exempt systems. All ExtendAir radios support multi-level QoS and VLAN tagging for complete traffic management flexibility.
ExtendAir radios offer ‘pay-as-you-grow’ scalability, with field-upgradable capacity and sustained high throughput and high 99.999% availability over ranges up to 22 miles (35 kilometers). Exalt says the ExtendAir product line can meet the connectivity needs of mobile operators, WISPs, government agencies, municipalities, utilities, schools, and hospitals.
ExtendAir products currently shipping include the all-outdoor, 5 GHz license-exempt r5000 and rc5000 models (1×10/100BaseT), and its variations. Licensed band models include 18 and 23 GHz (FCC) and 13, 15, 18 and 23 GHz (ETSI) and will start shipping in fourth quarter, 2009.
The Exalt product is not using the WiMAX standard, unlike Alvarion’s new 5Ghz WiMAX gear.
It’s also more expensive than other 5 GHz products such as Ubiquiti’s $80 Nanostation 5. Ubiquiti says their NanoStation is completely integrated outdoor device capable of 25Mbps+ and bridging distances beyond 15kms. Ubiquiti’s AirMax line (above) is said to deliver 150Mbps (point to multipoint) with a range up to 50km.
