Volume 3, Number 3 – June 2011
Reinventing microwave backhaul™
Exalt Introduces High Power, High
Capacity, Low Latency 5 GHz Systems!
No licensing holdups.
No leased line hassles.
No rights-of-way limitations.
Exalt license-exempt systems have been deployed by the thousands in
backhaul networks worldwide. The latest additions to the all-indoor 5 GHz
family boast fiber gigabit Ethernet interfaces, high power, high capacity,
and Exalt’s unique low-latency FDD technology. In addition to a wide array
of standard and optional features never-before-seen in license-exempt
systems, they provide Exalt customers with more flexibility and a broader
choice of antenna / distance combinations.
These all-indoor, single band 5.8 GHz systems are designed to support
the growing backhaul capacity needs of mobile operators and long-haul
private network operators, while offering the rapid time-to-deployment
advantages of license-exempt spectrum.
Feature-packed. Faster deployment. Lower TCO.
Not only do these systems offer high power and high capacity, they include features that until now have been exclusive to licensed systems including:
• QPSK to 256QAM operation, enabling full-duplex throughput up to
187 Mbps in 30 MHz single pole and 374 Mbps dual pole (XPIC)
• Two 10/100/1000BaseT interfaces to support data connections plus one
SFP port (1000BaseX) to support interoperability with on-site routers
• 16xT1 and 1xDS3 ports for hybrid Ethernet and native TDM operation
• +27, +30 and +33dBm output power options for long paths
• Ultra-low latency: 40 microseconds
• 1+0, 1+1 and 1+1 SD operation
• Exalt’s unique 1.5+0 semi-protected operation for
cost-effective protection
• Cross-polarization interference cancellation (XPIC)
• Adaptive modulation (ACM) for higher average throughput
or smaller antennas
• Ethernet capacity aggregation up to 750 Mbps at 5.8 GHz
Like all Exalt microwave backhaul systems, the EX-i Series GigE systems
offer significant cost savings compared to leased-line connections and
provide customers with a time-to-connection competitive edge where new
lines are impossible or too costly. Install these systems where and when you
need them, without rights-of-way limitations, frequency licensing delays,
or long waiting periods for delivery of new lines. There are no leased-line
hassles, antenna restrictions, or rights-of-way issues to negotiate.
To learn more about these amazing new systems and the problems they can help solve in your network, email lnguyen@exaltcom.com.
Now go more than 3 times the distance using the same antennas!
NEW!
NEW!
18 Miles *
High power
with ACM
High power
with ACM
Standard
5 Miles *
* 5.8 Ghz, 2-ft antennas
Standard
Customer Spotlight
Arizona Nevada Tower Corporation Expands
Business Operations with Exalt
Arizona Nevada Tower, an ISP and service provider headquartered in Las Vegas,
is currently expanding its business by providing carrier grade backhaul service
throughout its growing network and wireless broadband Internet access to
select rural communities in the Southwest, and Exalt is playing a key role.
Founded in 2003, ANTC operates wireless communication facilities in strategic
locations throughout Nevada, including an existing network servicing 850
miles of the Highway 95 and Highway 93 NAFTA corridors leading out of
Las Vegas. The company leases backhaul capacity to mobile operators such
as Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon, CC Communications, AT&T, Cricket, and
MetroPCS who are expanding coverage or adding capacity to their existing
networks. Through its subsidiaries WestNet Nevada and Atomsplash, ANTC
also sells broadband Internet services to individual subscribers.
As ANTC expands its network to provide additional backhaul capacity and
wireless broadband Internet access to select rural communities in the
Southwest through collaboration with the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), the company needs highly reliable equipment that
offers deployment flexibility and the ability to scale easily to meet increasing
demand for services.
“Since we lease backhaul to mobile operators, we need to build a carriergrade network,” said Kevin Hayes, vice president of ANTC. “We had been using
another vendor’s equipment but when it came time to expand the network,
we found that Exalt offered carrier-grade reliability with more flexibility.”
As an example of the flexibility ANTC needs, Exalt enables the company to
aggregate the capacity from Exalt 5 GHz and 6 GHz systems on the same link
to increase capacity. “We can simply add a new radio to increase capacity
“We had been using another vendor’s equipment but when it came
time to expand the network, we found that Exalt offers carrier-grade
reliability with more flexibility.”
–Kevin Hayes
Vice President
Arizona Nevada Tower Corporation
rather than put in a whole new microwave setup,” said Hayes. “Plus having
two microwave systems on one link allows one system to serve as a backup
for the other.”
ANTC uses Exalt all-indoor microwave backhaul systems throughout its
network in the licensed 6 GHz and license-exempt 5 GHz frequency bands
to implement its network expansion. The average link distance is 40 miles,
and the systems each carry at least 260 megabits per second (Mbps) with
four T1 lines. ANTC selected Exalt all-indoor microwave systems because
many of its tower locations are on windy mountaintops, so it is safer and
easier to service ground-based radios than it is to climb the towers in
high winds.
In addition to providing systems that deliver carrier-grade reliability and the
flexibility to aggregate licensed and license-exempt capacity on a single link,
Exalt has provided outstanding service and support to ANTC. “Their engineers
are very knowledgeable,” said Hayes. “They know exactly what we’re trying to
accomplish, and their customer service has been fantastic.”
The ANTC network now covers territory from Pahrump in the south
to Hawthorne in the north, and Hayes says it will eventually connect
communities all the way from Reno to Las Vegas. ANTC will continue
deploying Exalt systems in its network, and is currently planning a new
project under the American Rebuilding and Recovery Act’s Broadband
Initiative Project program to connect an additional 28 sites with Exalt
microwave backhaul systems.
For ANTC, Exalt has become synonymous with business expansion.
A worker raises an Exalt microwave radio with antenna
to the top of a grain elevator, one of the sites used by
ANTC for its backhaul network.
Customer Spotlight
Finally, the systems must be available in indoor, outdoor, and split-mount
configurations so Direct Connect can match the systems to the varied
geographies it serves.
Direct Connect is deploying a broad array of Exalt systems using licensed
frequencies, including all-outdoor ExtendAir® 13 and 18 GHz systems,
all-outdoor ExploreAir® 23 GHz systems, and EX split-mount 7 GHz
systems. The company chose the split-mount systems to meet the stringent
requirements of a military base in its network, and the all-outdoor ExploreAir
and ExtendAir systems to support all other locations. The Exalt systems are
configured to carry from 80 to 800 megabits per second (Mbps) of Ethernet
traffic over distances ranging from 7 to 49 kilometers (approximately
4 to 30 miles).
Connecting Rural Norway:
Exalt microwave backhaul systems deliver large cost savings to Direct Connect.
As an example, for a link between the cities of Bergen and Voss, Direct Connect
Norwegian ISP Deploys Exalt and
is using three Exalt microwave systems to connect a node serving 320
Slashes Network Backbone Costs
subscribers, and by doing so is replacing a leased fiber connection costing
nearly 240,000 Norwegian Kroner (NOK) per year (approximately US$43,000).
With a mission to become a leading provider of wireless Internet and IP
The deployment will pay for itself within one year through savings on lease
telephony services in rural Norway, Direct Connect AS must rein in costs as
line costs. Another Exalt microwave link in the northern part of Norway
it grows its subscriber base. Thanks to a wireless network backbone built on
is replacing a fiber run that costs 17,400 NOK per month (approximately
Exalt microwave backhaul systems, this provider is meeting its challenges by
US$3,000) and will return the cost of its deployment within six months.
replacing fiber links with reliable, cost-effective Exalt microwave infrastructure.
Exalt also helps Direct Connect keep its costs low through pay-as-you-grow
Founded in 2003, Direct Connect is a network services provider delivering
capacity upgrades on all of its systems. By purchasing software license keys,
broadband access to areas of Norway that have had poor coverage. Direct
Direct Connect can upgrade the capacity of any Exalt microwave link without
Connect offers the best coverage of any provider to thousands of subscribers
replacing equipment. In addition, Exalt’s unique field-replaceable diplexers
in rural homes and businesses. To maintain its 15 percent annual growth rate,
help DirectConnect keep sparing costs low. Direct Connect can stock just one
Direct Connect frequently adds capacity to its network, often replacing existing
radio in each frequency band and spare all radio terminals in the network for
fiber runs with Exalt microwave links.
that band. This capability reduces sparing costs up to 90 percent.
“With the fjords, the mountains, and often bad weather, it is more cost efficient
Based on its early success with Exalt systems, Direct Connect is hoping to offer
to use microwave rather than fiber,” said Inge Harald Olsen, CTO of Direct
direct microwave connections to industries that want fatter pipes in the areas
Connect. “And instead of leasing fiber from a competitor, we are building our
it serves. “We can build on our experience with Exalt to expand our business
own wireless network.”
further, and we know that Exalt will have the systems we need for the job,”
To decide which microwave backhaul systems to use in building its network,
said Olsen.
Direct Connect defined a specific list of criteria to evaluate available options.
First, the systems must be cost-effective to buy and operate, and reliable
enough to withstand the snow, ice, rain, and wind common in Norway’s
mountains and fjords. Second, the systems must be scalable so Direct Connect
can add capacity over time without replacing or adding new equipment.
“Of all the systems we investigated, we liked Exalt the best because it has
a full range of highly reliable systems to meet each of our capacity and
distance needs, and Exalt offers a far lower total cost of ownership.”
–Inge Harald Olsen
CTO
Direct Connect AS
Radio equipment protection may mean traditional 1+1 protection or
Exalt’s unique 1.5+0 semi-protected configuration, which delivers critical
component protection for a small price increment over 1+0. Equipment
protection is also important for power backup – a primary battery system
plus a separate propane or solar installation will ensure power is always
available. Be sure to install IP-addressable power cycling devices so you
can reboot unresponsive devices without traveling to the site.
ASK THE
EXPERTS
Exalt Answers Your Questions
about Microwave Backhaul
When it comes to selecting, managing, and deploying microwave backhaul,
you need all the information you can gather to make the right choices for
your network.
Here are answers to some commonly-asked questions about planning
a rural deployment.
A: Longer distances require larger antennas and taller structures. Because signal
strength decreases with distance, the gain associated with larger antennas
is often necessary for designing high availability long range paths. And since
terrain clearance is also a requirement for a high availability link, the higher
the tower, the more likely the needed clearance. The good news is that zoning
constraints usually are not a big factor in rural deployments, and real estate
lease costs are usually a fraction of what they would be in urban areas.
A: Microwave links are highly reliable, but you can save time and money to
service a link by selecting the right equipment protection to ensure the
network stays up in the hours or days required to reach a site.
What Exalt Customers
Have to Say…
“Exalt is the only vendor with FIPS-compliant security
at full throughput on licensed links, and Exalt makes
it easy to increase the bandwidth on our links
through simple license key upgrades.”
A: You can design network path protection in the form of a ring or a mesh or
parallel links to provide an alternate route for voice or data traffic. Ethernet
protocols designed to leverage such path diversity make this a great
approach to protection if the location of adjacent sites allows for it.
Q: What can I do to guarantee a successful deployment
the first time out?
Q: What antenna sizes do I need?
Q: How can I decrease the costs of maintaining my links?
Q: Is there any way to ensure high availability
without equipment protection?
A: Exalt has installed – and helped install – thousands of links. To ensure a
successful installation, stage the installation before proceeding with it.
The pain of driving eight hours to get a missing connector, grounding kit,
or sweep tester will be far greater than the pain of organizing and gathering
extra materials before setting out.
If you have questions about deploying microwave
systems, we are here to help. Just send your questions to
Exaltations@exaltcom.com, and we’ll provide the answers
to you via email. We’ll also publish the most frequently
asked questions in future issues of Exaltations.
“The Exalt systems give us all the bandwidth we need,
and they have been rock-solid since we deployed them.”
Bruce Gidlund
Castro Valley Unified School District
Castro Valley, CA
“Exalt has a full range of highly reliable systems to meet
each of our capacity and distance needs, and offers
a far lower cost of ownership than other microwave
manufacturers.”
Inga Harald Olsen
Direct Connect
Mike Binder
Airband Communications
Dallas, TX
Oslo, Norway
Exalt Communications, Inc., 580 Division Street, Campbell, CA 95008
Produced in the United States of America.
More details on Exalt point-to-point microwave backhaul systems may be found at:
www.exaltcom.com
© 2011 Exalt Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Exalt Communications, ExtremeAir, ExploreAir, ExtendAir and the
Exalt logo are trademarks of Exalt Communications, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
“Our safe production depends on the fast and reliable
flow of information. The Exalt systems have been
totally reliable and provide fiber-quality,
high-performance connections.”
Al Smith
Newmont Mining
Battle Mountain, NV
“We need microwave systems that can support both
TDM and IP traffic and reliably carry whatever we
throw at them. The Exalt systems give us the
flexibility to run both kinds of traffic natively.”
Scott Duncan
Central Electric Power Cooperative
Jefferson City, MO