Arcwave Introduces Industry's First Wireless Plant Extension Solution for Cable Operator Fiber Networks; ARCXtend MetroE Provides Wireless Last Mile Solution Enabling Cable Operators to Deliver Ethernet Services to Small to Medium Sized Businesses.

DENVER -- Arcwave, Inc., a provider of wireless solutions for the cable industry, today announced the introduction of ARCXtend MetroE, the first wireless plant extension (WPE) solution for fiber networks. The latest product in Arcwave's industry leading ARCXtend product line, ARCXtend MetroE gives cable operators the ability to rapidly expand their Ethernet service coverage in the small to medium sized business (SMB) market. The product, which creates a wireless bridge between the fiber plant and customer sites, gives cable operators a cost effective platform to quickly deliver business-class fiber-equivalent services on an on-demand basis for difficult to reach commercial customers.

ARCXtend MetroE consists of a pair of fully integrated outdoor radios that together form a low latency, high capacity transparent wireless link, enabling delivery of Ethernet and IP-based service without the fiber. The all-outdoor radios are purpose built to meet cable industry physical and environmental specifications ensuring rapid deployment and trouble free operation. The solution supports point-to-point wireless links operating in the license-free 5 GHz band with a sustained throughput of up to 32 mbps at a range of up to three miles with up to 99.999% link availability. It can also be used in conjunction with hardened CWDM Fast Ethernet media converter technology to deliver high value optical Internet access service to up to 10 customer sites per fiber pair. Links are managed using ARCView network management software or SNMP which support the equipment, link and Ethernet service management functions necessary for guaranteeing and managing commercial service level agreements.

"For every facilities-based service provider, whether telco, CLEC, metro provider or cable MSO, the deployment of fixed fiber lines is time consuming and costly. Service provider-approved fixed wireless solutions such as Arcwave's ARCXtend MetroE enable operators to immediately provide fiber-based service to often otherwise unreachable, yet lucrative, small and medium sized businesses," said Stratecast Partners Senior Analyst and Program Manager Tim McElgunn. "This issue is particularly acute for cable MSOs, for whom ARCXtend MetroE provides a Cable Labs tested, scalable wireless plant extension solution for MSO fiber-based service footprint expansion to reach SMEs that may not be connected to existing cable plant, or lie outside a given cable franchise footprint. Service providers can deploy services to business customers an on-demand basis and with relatively minor increases in operating costs."

"Arcwave's ARCXtend family of WPE solutions now encompasses ARCXtend MetroE and ARCXtend HSD, which is currently deployed by 14 of the top 15 cable system operators in more than 100 regions of the country," said Bill Sickler, CEO of Arcwave. "Arcwave is the first and only provider of wireless plant extension solutions to deliver products to cable operators for serving both small and medium-sized business customers."

Unlike general purpose wireless last mile products, Arcwave's ARCXtend MetroE solutions acts as a transparent extension of a cable operator's fiber plant, enabling customers to be provisioned, serviced and managed just like on their wired Ethernet networks. ARCXtend MetroE increases market coverage for existing service offerings without the delay and expense of wired plant extension buildout. Because the solution is transparent to and leverages existing cable operator support infrastructure and personnel, startup costs are limited to training and network operation center (NOC) integration. In most cases, ARCXtend MetroE can offer a payback on investment in less than 18 months.

The SMB market for Metro Ethernet services is the fastest growing segment of the enterprise voice and data services market and represents a significant opportunity for cable operators to expand their revenue base. An estimated 90% of SMBs, which collectively spend approximately $60B annually on voice and data services, are located within two miles of existing cable network operations and are eager for lower cost, higher bandwidth alternatives to traditional Telco provided T1 and T3 services. ARCXtend MetroE provides a strong solution for cable operators to capture a significant share of this underserved market.

A free copy of the white paper, "ARCXtend MetroE Wireless Plant Extension Solution for Fiber Networks" that explains how cable operators can increase commercial revenues by providing wireless Ethernet services is available at www.arcwaveinc.com. Contact Arcwave directly for a custom economic analysis.

The ARCXtend MetroE product is available now directly from Arcwave or through authorized resellers.

About Arcwave

Arcwave is the leading developer and provider of wireless plant extension solutions for the cable industry. Arcwave's products enable domestic and international multiple system operators (MSOs) to leverage the latest wireless technologies to extend the reach of their existing services and to increase service offerings within their current plant and operating infrastructure. The company has patented technology and experience in the wireless industry combined with a unique understanding of the MSO business model. Arcwave's solutions are designed for "plug and play" deployment and leverage existing and future wireless technologies. Arcwave's ARCXtend HSD product has been deployed by 14 of the top 15 cable system operators in more than 100 regions of the country. The company is funded by Vulcan Capital, Venrock Associates, SBV Venture Partners, Comcast Interactive Capital and Mayfield.

For more information about Arcwave and ARCXtend, visit www.arcwaveinc.com.

ARCXtend and ARCView are trademarks of Arcwave, Inc., and DOCSIS is a registered trademark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.