Aviat Networks Inc. announced the Eclipse IDU GE3, an ultra-compact indoor unit (IDU) that combines the very latest Carrier Ethernet networking and advanced radio features for hybrid TDM/Ethernet or all-Ethernet/IP wireless transmission. Supporting link throughputs up to 400 Mbps, the IDU GE3 will provide more than enough backhaul capacity for the overlay of new 4G/LTE base stations, and offers significant advantages over costly fiber deployments or leased lines. The Eclipse IDU GE3 will debut at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

The Eclipse IDU GE3 enables the deployment of cost-effective wireless tail-end cell-site connections and standalone point-to-point links. In conjunction with the nodal site capabilities of the Eclipse Packet Node, the IDU GE3 optimized backhaul cost and performance. The IDU GE3 shares the very latest in Ethernet Switch technology that is at the core of the recently announced Eclipse DAC GE3 nodal Gigabit Ethernet card: to provide seamless extension of Carrier Ethernet features from the node to the cell site. This new embedded switch provides the most advanced Carrier Ethernet features available in a microwave platform for hybrid or all-packet microwave transport. Available in a space-saving one-half rack unit (RU) package, IDU GE3 offers features that include:

• Full 256QAM Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) support, enabling up to a fourfold increase in spectral efficiency over non-ACM systems;

• High port density with six Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) and 16 native TDM (E1/T1) ports;

• The latest Carrier Ethernet features, such as VLANs, advanced Quality of Service (QoS) traffic priority assignment and Ethernet OAM (Operations, Administration and Management); and

• Packet synchronization options--SyncE, IEEE 1588v2 and Eclipse Distributed Sync (EDS)

"The IDU GE3 extends Eclipse Packet Node Carrier Ethernet features in a new optimized package suitable for last mile cell-site or simple link applications," says Shaun McFall, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Aviat Networks. "This new indoor unit packs an incredible combination of transmission features and network intelligence into a smaller footprint than ever before."

The new IDU GE3 is fully compatible with the Eclipse Packet Node nodal indoor units and the complete line of Eclipse indoor and outdoor RF units, enabling operators to immediately deploy this new unit into existing Eclipse-based transmission networks with minimal cost and operational impact.

Aviat Networks will be displaying the IDU GE3 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, courtyard pavilion CY08.