interWAVE® Communications , a pioneer in compact cellular communications systems and broadband wireless data networks, today announced that its StreamNet ATM switch is the ideal solution for operators looking to migrate current 2G cellular transport networks to support 2.5G and 3G applications. A fully outdoor switch, interWAVE's StreamNet is a generalized broadband solution for converged voice and data traffic, allowing operators to provide broadband services for cellular and PCS backhaul and broadband access aggregation where ATM switching is necessary to reach the edge of the network. interWAVE's StreamNet switch is cost-effective and easy to deploy in that it eliminates the need for operators to rip out or `forklift' their current network infrastructure, providing a non-disruptive, scalable solution for building out their networks.

``As the global market continues to experience a high customer demand for broadband services, operators are looking for cost-effective solutions for migrating their current 2G networks to 2.5G and 3G to converge voice and data services,'' said Ian Walter, director of product management for interWAVE. ``Our StreamNet ATM switch is ideal for creating highly reliable networks that can be rapidly deployed, and that offer a payback period in some cases under one year.''

Using the ATM protocol, which naturally supports mixed voice and data traffic, interWAVE's StreamNet solution improves both the efficiency of the network as well as its manageability. The key distinction for emerging networks is support for both legacy circuit switched transport, for existing 2G voice networks, as well as cell or packet switched transport, for 2.5G to 3G voice and data transport. Operators, looking to migrate to 2.5 and 3G, can maintain a single network that supports all transport needs, whether 2G, 2.5G or 3G.

The unique design, robust nature and cost-effectiveness of interWAVE's StreamNet switch make it the ideal solution for providing broadband capabilities to the edge of the network. Operators are able to quickly and easily deploy StreamNet at the base station site with radio and wire transport, eliminating the significant time and costs associated with traditional solutions. StreamNet can enable cellular applications far beyond the voice and short messaging available today to include e-commerce, streaming audio, video conferencing, video-on-demand and telemetry.

interWAVE's StreamNet switch features:

Third Generation (3G) Migration - Operators can easily and affordably migrate their current 2G networks to 2.5G and 3G, offering sufficient bandwidth to the edge of the network to support all types of voice and data applications.
Mesh Architecture - The highest network reliability is provided by a mesh architecture, which automatically reroutes around a downlink in the network. Mesh architecture also allows for a connection to be taken off the air for network upgrades without affecting the service. A switch fabric data rate of 610 Mbps is optimized for network edge applications, allowing non-blocking switching on all ports.
Network Management - StreamNet's management system allows operators to configure and manage the network either locally or remotely.