FiberTower Selects DragonWave Solutions to Deliver Packet-Backhaul Services for Major Wireless Carriers

FiberTower maintains an extensive footprint in 24 GHz and 39 GHz radio spectrum bands, carrier-class fiber and microwave networks in major markets nationwide to serve the needs of the major wireless carriers. With wireless carriers undertaking major 3G, 4G and LTE service initiatives, FiberTower sought a solution from DragonWave, a leading global supplier of high-capacity packet microwave systems for mobile and access networks, to build out a higher-capacity, converged packet backbone for backhauling customer services. DragonWave products are installed in FiberTower's networks in Ohio and Texas.

Our customers include nine US wireless carriers, and increasingly they are demanding pure packet backhaul to ensure optimal performance for their service offerings. DragonWave offers a family of solutions that is clearly head of the class-in terms of both scalability and flexibility-for pure packet backhaul, said Dave Jones, Senior Vice President of Network Services with FiberTower. Furthermore, the DragonWave solution is engineered with valuable attributes that enable us to enter new markets quickly and cost-effectively. One of the things that impressed us during our trial of the Horizon Compact, for example, was its innovative, zero-footprint configuration.

As the percentage of data traffic continues to climb relative to voice, service providers are turning to solutions that converge all traffic onto a single, all-IP infrastructure, said Daryl Schoolar, Principal Analyst, Mobile Access Infrastructure with Current Analysis. The rollout of next-generation mobile broadband offerings increases the pressure on network operators to realize the rapid scalability and lower cost per bit that only packet technologies can convey.

FiberTower is an important reference customer for DragonWave, said DragonWave President and CEO Peter Allen. Its customers include many major wireless carriers who are rolling out demanding, next-generation offerings. Our Horizon Compact delivers the resilient and high performance, unparalleled scalability, simplified operations and improved total lifecycle costs that FiberTower requires to keep its customers satisfied.

DragonWave's Horizon line of packet microwave systems delivers the highest levels of spectral efficiency and reliability for carrier-grade delivery of advanced applications and services. An uncompromised product design delivers pure packet microwave performance with software scalable, ultra-low latency transport of up to 4 Gbps per link. Extremely easy to deploy and manage, DragonWave products deliver carrier-grade (99.999%) interference-free performance in next-generation IP networks.