BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwire - February 9, 2011) - Airspan Networks, Inc., a leading provider of broadband wireless access networks, announced today the launch of AirHarmony, the world's first multi-standard, 2G and 4G outdoor pico radio access network (RAN) solution, designed to allow carriers to serve rural and underserved markets economically. The product is a result of collaboration with ip.access, a pioneering femtocell and picocell manufacturer.
AirHarmony will allow carriers to extend their network services to customers in rural areas previously considered economically unfeasible to reach with conventional macro and micro network solutions.
The new product continues Airspan's history of excellence in innovation, combining Airspan and ip.access industry-leading technology. AirHarmony includes an Airspan 4G base station with self-backhaul capability, ip.access 2G access controllers, and ip.access core 2G software solutions. The software defined radio (SDR) solution incorporates virtually every existing mobile carrier radio interface including:
- 2G and 2.5G GSM Edge, 2 TRX @ 20W, up to 30 simultaneous calls
- WiMAX 802.16d and 802.16e
- LTE release 8.0 and 9.0, both TDD and FDD
- High capacity point-to-multipoint relay backhaul
A unique feature of the AirHarmony pico base station is its inbuilt backhaul technology that supports low latency, high capacity, non-line-of-sight, point-to-multi-point operation with relay -- named iBridge. This groundbreaking architecture enables carriers to create sustainable service footprints with minimized CAPEX and OPEX profiles. Another key feature is the low power consumption of less than 200W for a sector with two access and one backhaul radio interfaces. In many regions, a base station site can be solar powered.
"A constant challenge for carriers is delivering voice services and high-speed data connectivity in rural areas," said Stephen Mallinson, CEO at ip.access. "Generally, the low population density in these areas does not justify the expense of deploying the infrastructure needed for such coverage. However, AirHarmony now solves this problem, offering carriers a low-cost, high performance picocell with macro range that can service hundreds of square miles."
Paul Senior, Chief Technical Officer of Airspan, added, "Incorporating the ip.access high-power nanoGSM technology in this product enabled us to combine our robust 4G access and backhaul solution with standard carrier interfaces. This product is the first of its kind and will change carrier economics while delivering voice and data services to previously underserved regions."
Lotus Solutions and Services, a division of Asia Consulting Group (ACG), tapped its extensive experience deploying cellular networks in hard-to-reach areas to contribute to the development of the AirHarmony product. A test bed deployment of Lotus GSM is currently underway with a local carrier in south-central Asia.
Airspan's new suite of LTE RAN solutions including AirHarmony will be on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 14-17 in Hall 1, Booth B56.
About Airspan Networks Inc.
Airspan (
About ip.access
Based in Cambridge, UK, ip.access ltd (www.ipaccess.com) is a leading manufacturer of cost-effective picocell and femtocell infrastructure solutions for GSM, GPRS, EDGE and 3G. These solutions bring IP and cellular technologies together to drive down costs and increase coverage and capacity of mobile networks.
ABI Research ranks ip.access as the world's number 1 picocell vendor; its nanoGSM® and nano3G™ picocell solutions provide 2G and 3G coverage and capacity for offices, shops and (using satellite backhaul) passenger aircraft, ships and remote rural areas. nanoGSM is the world's most deployed picocell, with live installations in more than 50 networks around the world and growing.
ip.access is also the company behind the multi-award winning Oyster 3G™ femtocell technology, which dramatically improves the user experience for 3G services at home. Oyster 3G is the core femtocell technology in AT&T's 3G MicroCell.
ip.access counts Scottish Equity Partners, Rothschild Gestion, Intel Capital, Amadeus Capital Partners, ADC, Cisco, Qualcomm and Motorola Ventures among its shareholders.
About Lotus Solutions and Services
Lotus Solutions and Services, a division of Asia Consulting Group (ACG), delivers a carrier-grade BTS system that enables carriers to profitably extend and expand their networks into hard-to-reach areas without changing existing infrastructures. The Lotus GSM/LTE systems offer lower costs, easy deployment and easy integration with current networks. Lotus was designed based upon ACG's extensive experience deploying cellular networks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. The words "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "projects," "will," "would" and similar expressions or negative variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. Investors and others are therefore cautioned that a variety of factors, including certain risks, may affect our business and cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Contact Information:
For Media Inquiries, contact:
Dori Erann
Senior Director Marketing Communications
Airspan Networks Inc.
Tel. +1 561.893.8687
Email: derann@airspan.com