by Alex Goldman
Today, Proxim released the Tsunami GX800 licensed point-to-point microwave product. Built to operate in a wide range of spectrum from 6 GHz to 38 GHz, the system can deliver up to 622 Mbps at maximum modulation (256 QAM). That’s full duplex capacity (311 Mbps in each direction).
“Despite the greater demand on today’s networks, the budgets to build out and increase capacity are by no means unlimited. At Proxim, we have been helping organizations cost-effectively scale their networks with unlicensed wireless backhaul for years,” said Robb Henshaw, Proxim’s vice president of marketing, in a statement.
The product is priced at $14,999 per link. The package includes two outdoor units, two indoor units, and a mounting kit. The indoor unit includes a Gigabit IP interface, a second 10/100 Ethernet port, USB port, and in/out of band management. Additional interfaces (T1/E1, E3/DS3, and fiber optic) cost extra. The product can be ordered to day and will start shipping in a few weeks, towards the end of November.
It’s not as easy to obtain a license in this spectrum as in WiMAX, but it doesn’t involve an auction either. It requires a filing, and Proxim is working with a partner to offer license filing services, but has not yet announced who that partner is.
With the addition of this product, Proxim can offer WISPs everything they need, says Henshaw. “In the past, we had to send customers to another company if they wanted a licensed link, but WISPs prefer to get everything from one provider.”
Henshaw adds that Proxim has been reviewing its products for several years. “Over the past few years, we revamped every product line since new management took over. With new R&D, we upgraded to 802.11n on our indoor and outdoor unlicsensed products…. This is the final step.”
Henshaw says that separating the indoor and outdoor units allows technicians to aim each unit independently. The indoor unit, he says, is a compact rack mount device (two fit on one rack), fanless, but with a processor. I guess that radios don’t compete on the basis of their processors because most of the processors come from the same companies (Broadcom, etc.).
Proxim offers its own device management system, the Proxim Vision ES Network Management System, but the GX800 can also be managed by other device management systems via SNMP.
“We’re very careful to never bring a product to market without integrating it into our device managment system,” Henshaw says. “Motorola is one of the few companies that has the breadth of products that we do. They have the pieces of the puzzle, but those products came from different companies and they don’t have an integrated management system.”
But isn’t Proxim also a collection of acquired companies? “We have a history of mergers and acquisitions, but the last one happened in 2002.”
Proxim is also offering a free link planner. “We talk about how difficult it is to deploy fiber and how much easier it is to deploy wireless, but the wireless industry also offers some challenges,” Henshaw says.
Proxim wants to make deployment easier. With the link tool, Henshaw says, “anyone can simply and easily fire this up, get the link aligned, do the path planning — all without being a complete expert.”
The radio offers Adaptive Code Modulation (ACM) and does not offer MIMO (which is generally not necessary in licensed bands). Its maximum sensitivity is -90 dBm. Latency is measured in microseconds, and is far less than 1 ms. The maximum power consumption of both units (indoor unit plus outdoor unit) is 60 watts.
The unit supports channel bandwidths from 7 MHz to 56 MHz.
