Fixed Microwave Solutions

Microwave transport can be a very effective choice when it comes to transport technology.  For high terrain or extremely remote areas, transmission designs featuring wireless networks have proven to be more cost-effective than new wireline facilities, which incur high labor and deployment costs.  Key factors such as rights of way, availability of power along the right of way, trenching, and cable procurement do not become issues with microwave wireless network systems.

Microwave transport solutions can be a cost-effective selection for complete network designs or to complement or backup existing wireline networks. They are especially well-suited for those sites that have terrain challenges or are considered remote. 

MDR-8000 Family

The MDR-8000 is LGS Innovations’ premier digital microwave radio for long haul, point-to-point wireless communications. It is also the most widely deployed microwave solution within the United States. The flexible platform provides robust operation, while reducing total cost of ownership (TCO).

With a common platform that supports virtually all frequency bands from 2-11 GHz, the MDR-8000 can provide high-capacity backbone routes, as well as low-capacity spurs. It offers transmission capacity from 2-32 DS1s, 1-3 DS3s, OC-3, and 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet, with the ability to upgrade capacity in service simply by changing Capacity Key modules. The common platform that supports all of these options provides users ultimate flexibility in configuring and equipping an entire network, with simplified operation and maintenance. With the widest range of long-haul frequency bands, the most complete range of interfaces and capacities, and the highest system gain in the industry, the MDR-8000 is the undisputed leader in microwave transport.

The MDR-8000 was a breakthrough design at its introduction, and the forward-thinking platform is so advanced that it continues to lead the industry today. With unmatched capabilities for meeting unique customer requirements, the MDR-8000 is unrivaled in its flexibility and performance. Its flexible and scalable architecture provides reliable wireless backbone communications for governments, cellular operators, public safety agencies, railways, pipelines, utilities, local exchange carriers, television stations, and private enterprises worldwide.

Whether the need is for low capacity versus high capacity, Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) versus Ethernet, or short-haul versus long-haul transmission, the MDR-8000 offers configurations to provide any level of protection or path availability. It is designed to meet the most stringent network requirements for mobile backhaul and long-haul trunking of different segments, including homeland security, defense, transportation and critical utility and energy infrastructure.

Operating in the NTIA-regulated frequency bands, the MRD-8000 can mount in the tightest spaces while providing wireless means for overcoming geographic obstacles, right-of-way costs, and construction delays associated with wired facilities. This scalable and readily deployable architecture provides reliable backbone communications for U.S. Federal Government agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and Department of the Interior. These customers leverage the product’s enhanced flexibility to tailor their microwave networks according to the bandwidth needs driven by innovative data services and traditional services, while retaining high-level backward compatibility. Featuring dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and 32 DS1 circuit interfaces, the MDR-8000 allows the U.S. Federal Government to dynamically reallocate capacity in-service with no disruption as the transport rate for IP services grows.

The LGS Innovations MDR-8000 Family has the following features and benefits:

• Proven reliability: ensures trouble-free operation

• Broadest range of frequencies and capacities: provides an ideal match for your system requirements and available spectrum
  • 2, 4, 5.8, L6, U6, 8, 10, 11 GHz
  • 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 DS1s; 1, 3 DS3s; OC-3; 50, 150 Mb/s Ethernet

• Common platform across all configurations: minimizes spares and training requirements

• Highest adjacent channel interference rejection: allows operation in congested frequency bands

• Robust operating characteristics: delivers high availability on even the most troublesome paths, and allows longer paths to be implemented using smaller antennas
  • Highest system gain
  • Forward Error Correction
  • Multiple configurations available (non-standby, hot-standby, space diversity, frequency diversity, quad diversity)

• In-service capacity expansion: provides economical and simple growth to meet your needs, with no stranded investment

• Smallest size, with both indoor and outdoor installation options: allows flexibility with system installation and location

MDR-8000

The MDR-8000 offers a graceful migration from TDM to Ethernet for microwave radio networks without costly equipment replacement. A new interface card provides native Ethernet ports with 32 DS1 on-board to allow TDM traffic to be dynamically provisioned alongside the radio's Ethernet bandwidth. Existing MDR-8000 radios supporting only TDM services over DS1, DS3 or OC-3 may be upgraded in the field.

Benefits include:

• Upgrade of existing systems to Ethernet with minimal investment
• Highly reliable transport over long distances
• Cost-effective alternative to leasing T1 and/or Metro Ethernet
• Cost-effective alternative to building fiber facilities

MDR-8000 Compact Low Profile Shelf

The MDR-8000 Compact is a reduced-size package for non-standby radio configurations. It is applicable to the entire product line, covering all frequency bands and all capacities of the MDR-8000 family. In addition to its greater space efficiency, the CommPak offers solutions for both indoor and outdoor installations.

Many network architectures do not require the built-in 1+1 equipment redundancy of the standard MDR-8000 shelf. Low-density microwave routes with less than 8 T1 are commonly equipped with 1+0 protection. Also, when radio is used for back up to other wireline facilities, redundancy of the radio electronics is not required. Even highly secure networks that utilize ring protection switching don't require redundant radio electronics since the circuit multiplexers, not the radio link, provide the service protection. The low profile, MDR-8000 Compact is ideal for these applications.

Additionally, network operators are increasingly finding the need to locate radio equipment at sites that lack space for traditional indoor installations. The MDR-8000 offers an ideal solution for such situations with a pole mountable outdoor enclosure.

Benefits include:

• Wireless operation offers a cost-effective alternative to wireline or fiber transmission
• Module interchangeability with the entire MDR-8000 product line reduces cost of spares, training and operations
• Low profile shelf and outdoor enclosure reduces facility costs

MDR-8000 Lite Low-Profile Unlicensed Radio

The MDR-8000 Lite is a high performance, point-to-point digital microwave radio system designed for applications in the 5.8 GHz unlicensed frequency band. The system is ideal for extending the reach of voice, data or video networks, where wired facilities would be cost prohibitive. Operation in the unlicensed spectrum allows for quick and easy, off-the-shelf system implementation. The system can be used for permanent, temporary or emergency network installations. High system availability is achieved through the use of a narrowband modulation technique that offers superior immunity to RF interference. Additionally, the MDR-8000 Lite is built and tested to the same quality standards as Alcatel-Lucent's licensed radio products, assuring operators of reliable network operations.

Benefits include:

• Wireless operation offers a cost-effective alternative to wireline transmission
• Unlicensed operation offers fast installation and system implementation
• Outstanding system gain and superior immunity to interference increases network reliability and system availability

9500 Microwave Cross-Connect (MXC)

The 9500 Microwave Cross-Connect (MXC) is a flexible, multiservice wireless transport platform for medium- to high-capacity mixed traffic. Offering a new generation of digital, point-to-point microwave radio capabilities, the 9500 MXC provides an effective way to meet the growing demand for high-capacity applications.

A flexible platform, the 9500 MXC supports PDH, SDH/SONET, Ethernet interfaces and node configuration. The product provides an effective solution for high capacity applications. Microwave solutions for high-capacity applications are particularly important with the introduction of UMTS and HSDPA in mobile networks, due to the renewal of television networks with the launch of DVB-T and DVB-H, as well as the popularity of general broadband networks.

The compact 9500 MXC supports SDH/SONET and “super PDH” applications with higher flexibility afforded by its integrated cross-connection capabilities. It can also support fixed applications such as DSL and WiMAX backhauling as a result of its multiple interfaces, including PDH, SDH and Ethernet with integrated Layer-2 switching. The 9500 MXC is a reliable, complete, homogeneous series, from 6 GHz to 38 GHz. Its unique network management capabilities serve both small and large networks, and its compact design enables easy installation while ensuring that maximum commonality is achieved across frequencies and capacities.

Benefits include:

• Spectrum efficiency to support increasing broadband traffic
• High reliability
• Reduced costs – with a modular design and cost-optimized IDUs for SDH and Ethernet applications
• Easy installation and reduced cabling
• Enhanced customer satisfaction with QoS management

9500 Microwave Packet Radio (MPR)

The 9500 Microwave Packet Radio (MPR) is changing the world of wireless transmission by providing seamless Internet Protocol (IP) migration for microwave networks. The 9500 MPR handles traffic by packets natively, using IP instead of being locked into TDM formats – yet it still fully supports TDM circuits, providing a means to gracefully and seamlessly migrate to an all-IP infrastructure.  It improves packet aggregation, increases bandwidth, enhances Ethernet connectivity and delivers the Quality of Service (QoS) end users require.

This product represents the next generation of microwave radio technology from LGS Innovations, revolutionizing the market by improving network transport while diminishing costs.

Benefits include:

• Provides a completely new way for microwave radio to handle IP traffic in its native form

• Offers compatibility with the legacy Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) and SDH technologies and works in multivendor environments, protecting investments

• Delivers innovative features unique to the industry, including:
  • Service-driven adaptive packet modulation
  • T1/E1 in packet by pseudo-wire/CES
  • ATM pseudowire
  • Multiservice aggregation layer
  • Service awareness
  • Synchronization distribution

• Improves the Access Network with packet aggregation using standard protocols without using the external boxes found in competing solutions

• Provides an end-to-end packet-transport solution when deployed in conjunction with the Alcatel-Lucent 1850 Transport Service Switch (TSS) in the fiber metro

• Provides an end-to-end Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) solution when the 7700 Service Router (SR) family is used as a gateway

The 9500 MPR offers a revolutionary way of transporting packets natively. Using an innovative approach to deliver the quality of service required for each traffic type dramatically reduces operating expenditures (OPEX) and improves the connectivity of Ethernet and legacy T1 stations. As a result, the network can easily and efficiently accommodate rapid growth in multimedia traffic, with smooth migration from TDM to IP. Native transport of packet traffic produces a clear gain in scarce radio resources; while packet solutions can absorb TDM traffic efficiently, TDM solutions cannot handle packet traffic cost-effectively.