DragonWave Inc., a global supplier of next-generation wireless networks, announced that Sprint has selected DragonWave's IP backhaul solutions for its XOHM-branded WiMAX mobile-broadband services in North America. DragonWave's Horizon Compact and Horizon Duo products will be deployed initially in the Baltimore/Washington and Chicago markets.


"We are progressing with our deployment of the XOHM mobile broadband network using WiMAX technology and we will include wireless backhaul in our first launch markets," said Doug Smith, senior vice president and chief technical operations officer of Sprint's XOHM business unit. "DragonWave's backhaul products are an important part of our ability to ensure the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the network we are deploying."

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DragonWave's native Ethernet radios will provide Sprint's XHOM network with carrier-grade reliability, capacity, throughput and Quality of Service (QoS) for backhauling 4G traffic. The Horizon products provide software controlled scalability, ultra-low latency, wire-speed connectivity up to 1.6 Gbps full duplex, 99.999 percent service availability and a full suite of network management options. Ring/mesh network architecture coupled with adaptive modulation and integrated antenna solutions enables a 50 percent reduction in the total life cycle cost compared to conventional designs enabling Sprint XOHM to rapidly and affordably expand their market coverage and meet increased bandwidth requirements.

"Big-name carriers such as Sprint are confronting the backhaul challenges of the mobile Internet, and, consequently, they are increasingly transitioning to lower-cost IP backhaul to support 3G and 4G expansion and booming data rates," said Caroline Gabriel, research director and lead wireless analyst with Rethink Research Associates. "Carriers no longer can allow backhaul bottlenecks to slow their mobile-broadband growth plans, so we are seeing heightened uptake for powerful IP backhaul solutions that allow for simple, cost-efficient network rollout."

"We are delighted to be selected by Sprint as a wireless backhaul provider for use in their 4G Mobile Broadband XOHM Network," said Peter Allen, DragonWave's president and CEO. "Our flexible family of high capacity IP based backhaul solutions contribute to the needs of the 4G business case. We are excited to continue to bring these benefits to Sprint XOHM as its nationwide rollout moves forward."