JULY 21, 2009 -- Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery (CESD) platforms from network specialist Ciena Corp. (search Lightwave for Ciena) are providing backhaul for Clearwire's CLEAR 4G mobile WiMAX service in Las Vegas that launched today. As a key infrastructure component of Clearwire's nationwide 4G WiMAX deployment strategy, Las Vegas represents the latest market where Ciena platforms are providing 4G backhaul for the CLEAR service in addition to those in Baltimore, Atlanta, and Portland.
CLEAR service in Las Vegas is available to approximately 1.7 million people across 638 square miles using a variety of WiMAX-enabled access devices that offer typical download speeds of 3 to 6 Mbps with bursts exceeding 10 Mbps.
Clearwire is using Ciena's LE-311v service delivery switches, CN 5305 service aggregation switches, and Ethernet Services Manager software for 4G backhaul. Based on True Carrier Ethernet, the CESD portfolio combines the cost and capacity advantages of Ethernet with the reliability, management, and service quality associated with SONET/SDH networks. The Ethernet Services Manager's intelligent software automation enables Clearwire to build and deploy large-scale backhaul networks using platforms that can be installed, configured, provisioned, and remotely reprogrammed faster than manual approaches.
"The CLEAR service highlights why wireless backhaul is such a critical issue right now as the diverse set of access devices can accommodate incredible bandwidth demands on the backhaul connections from the towers to the metro network," says Mike Aquino, senior vice president of global field operations at Ciena. "There is a need to manage unpredictable and surging traffic growth."
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