CAMPBELL, CA--(Marketwire - January 19, 2011) - Exalt Communications today announced that Shelby Electric Cooperative of Shelbyville, Illinois has deployed Exalt microwave backhaul systems to backhaul Internet services to its customers. Serving Christian, Macon, Shelby, and parts of six other counties in central Illinois, Shelby Electric Cooperative provides electricity and Internet service to approximately 8,000 customers.
"We have built a wireless Internet network from scratch over the past two years, and we needed backhaul systems that can give us high performance and the ability to scale bandwidth as our subscriber base grows," said Josh Shallenberger, chief operating officer of Shelby Electric Cooperative. "The Exalt systems give us plenty of bandwidth for current and future needs, and they have been completely reliable, even in winter snowstorms."
What began as a pilot project in 2008 has blossomed through three phases into a 35-hop network that blankets Shelby Electric Cooperative's service area. Working with Exalt partner Wireless Data Systems of Wilmington, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Illinois, the Cooperative has deployed all-outdoor and split-mount Exalt systems using the 2.4, 5, 6, and 11 GHz frequency bands. The 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency systems are configured to carry up to 25 megabits per second (Mbps) of Ethernet traffic, the 6 GHz system carries 155 Mbps, and the 11 GHz systems are configured to carry up to 100 Mbps of Ethernet traffic. Exalt's broad product portfolio allows the Cooperative to choose from licensed and license-exempt backhaul systems as dictated by the demands of a particular application, and the systems can scale up to 200 megabits per second of bandwidth if needed through simple license key upgrades.
Exalt reliability and performance have also enabled the Cooperative to increase service levels and customer satisfaction due to increased backhaul network reliability and performance. The Shelby Electric Cooperative's post-installation surveys show that most customers rate the service between 8 and 10 points out of a possible 10.
"Fiber and microwave are the only technologies that can reliably backhaul traffic, but microwave is far less expensive and much quicker to deploy when expanding a network over a broad geographical area," said Amir Zoufonoun, president and CEO of Exalt Communications. "The breadth of our product line allows Exalt customers to choose the exact systems they need to fit the application, and they are guaranteed five-nines, carrier-grade reliability in any microwave frequency band with build-as-you-grow scalability and highly competitive pricing. This gives customers like Shelby Electric Cooperative a lower cost of network ownership and a true competitive edge, and are the reasons electric cooperatives and service providers turn to us time and time again."
The Exalt Microwave Backhaul Product Portfolio
All Exalt microwave backhaul systems -- indoor, outdoor, and split-mount -- offer guaranteed link availability, guaranteed throughput and low, constant latency. Systems are available in world bands from 2 to 43 GHz and in capacities from 10 Mbps to more than 1000 Mbps per channel, providing a range of options to fit countless network applications. Designed to enable a smooth transition to IP, they offer native support for both TDM and Ethernet, and are fully software configurable and upgradeable. For easy and secure management using third-party network management systems, Exalt systems support SNMP v1, v2c and v3. Data security is provided by available FIPS 197-compliant AES 128-bit and 256-bit encryption that adds zero latency to the transmission. To simplify installation and maintenance, all Exalt systems feature an embedded manual and most include a built-in spectrum analyzer.
About Exalt Communications
Exalt Communications provides next-generation microwave backhaul systems to service providers, government organizations and enterprises worldwide. Exalt systems are designed to solve the network bottlenecks associated with the growing demand for IP-based voice, data and video applications and the resulting migration from TDM to IP-based networks. With a flexible architecture and universal product platform covering multiple market segments, Exalt provides a full range of microwave radio systems that meet the demand for cost-effective and flexible alternatives to fiber and leased lines. www.exaltcom.com
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Pamela Valentine
VP Marketing
Outbound & Channel
Exalt Communications
pvalentine@exaltcom.com
408-871-1804 x351