21 Jul 2016 Cambium Networks Brings cnMedusa™ To UK And Ireland Markets To Boost Rural Fixed Wireless Broadband

Multiplied capacity and high spectrum efficiency enables network operators to offer 5G-like Internet connections to significantly reach more people and eliminate the Digital Divide

Cambium Networks™, a leading global provider of wireless broadband solutions, today launched to the UK and Ireland markets the first product to include cnMedusa™ technology – the PMP 450m.

cnMedusa allows network operators to offer 5G-like speeds, surpassing DSL and cable, while offering throughput comparable to fibre. Consumer demand for streaming media like Netflix™, the need to support symmetric traffic required of cloud-based services, and provide higher capacity Service Level Agreements are driving the need for this innovation.cnMedusa™ is ideal for both rural and urban locations.

The launch event to the UK and Ireland market as part of a special partner conference being staged today by Cambium Networks at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

Cambium’s cnMedusa is the first commercially available Massive Multi-user, multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) platform for fixed wireless broadband. The 14×14 integrated antenna array exceeds both 802.11AC Wave 2 and LTE-A planned implementation of 8×8, and yields the ability to support up to seven simultaneous carrier chains. The unprecedented spectral efficiency of the cnMedusa-enabled PMP 450m allows wireless service providers to offer triple play services to existing subscribers and new customers, without requiring additional scarce and expensive spectrum.

Developed over the course of three years at Cambium Labs of Ashburton in Devon, cnMedusa’s Massive MU-MIMO technology offers a three-to-four times increase in network capacity and groundbreaking spectral efficiency in the field-proven PMP 450 wireless broadband platform, while being managed from a single pane of glass in the cloud.

“cnMedusa will allow us to bring Ultra Broadband services at competitive prices to outdoor deployments we never could have reached previously, especially in challenging rural areas,” said Dan McCarthy, Regional Sales Manager at Cambium Networks UK, Ireland and Nordics. “The Massive MIMO technology in the PMP 450m allows us to build on our current deployments, using the same spectrum and subscriber equipment as before, while increasing throughput to existing customers with bandwidth to support network expansion. There are major opportunities for this technology in the UK and Ireland as both countries look to meet insatiable demand for broadband in urban and rural areas. This is also a great breakthrough for wireless broadband technology.”

Key features of cnMedusa MU-MIMO technology in the PMP 450m include:

• Three-to-four times increase in capacity, with more than 400 Mbps in a 20 MHz channel.
• Industry-leading spectral efficiency of 20+ bits per second per Hz (bps/Hz), and over 40 bps/Hz when deployed in frequency re-use configurations.
• Fully integrated advanced sector antenna reducing capital costs and reducing operating expenses in installation and recurring tower fees.
• Works with existing PMP 450 subscriber modules to protect investment in network equipment, while dramatically increasing capacity by changing out only the Access Point.

“The introduction of cnMedusa marks a shift in the way people access the Internet: wireless networks are becoming faster than wired ones,” said McCarthy. “Massive MU-MIMO allows fixed wireless network operators to offer industry-leading cost, scalability and reach advantages – particularly in traditionally underserved areas – with speeds and reliability exceeding wired networks. This capability allows people in nearly any location to experience the media-rich content they expect, even in sparsely populated and difficult to reach areas of the world.”

The launch has already been well received by Cambium partners and service providers. Garrett McElroy is General Manager of Skytel Networks, which operates on fixed wireless broadband networks in Wexford in Ireland, supporting more than 4,500 businesses and residential customers.

“Users today demand speed and reliability and expect their service providers to give it to them – whether they live in a city centre or the remotest of rural locations,” said McElroy. “They don’t want to understand about high bandwidth service provision issues and now, with Cambium’s new development, they just don’t have to. cnMedusa gives service providers a great new weapon in the high bandwidth delivery battle and so I’m very confident that Cambium has given us a world class solution to keep those users satisfied and loyal to the service provider installing it.”

cnMedusa is available now through Purdicom:

Tel: 0333 1212 100
Email: hello@purdi.com