Sprint-Nextel Corp. (S) will use Carrier Ethernet from Ciena Corp. as one of the backhaul solutions for the operator’s 4G WiMAX network, XOHM.
Backhaul is one of the critical considerations in the move to 4G, given that right now, pre-4G, Nielsen Mobile research says the mobile Internet has become a mass medium in the U.S. with nearly 100 million subscribers and a significant subset of 40 million active users. That number is expected to explode with 4G, and the increased data and video traffic, enabled by the improved broadband speeds akin to cable modem or DSL, would overwhelm today’s existing copper backhaul plant. Lower cost-per-bit solutions like Ethernet dramatically increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness over the alternative of simply adding more T1s to towers.
“Backhaul is a key focus area for us as we build out the XOHM network,” said Doug Smith, senior vice president and chief technical operations officer of Sprint’s XOHM business unit. “A next-generation, Ethernet-based architecture can optimize efficiency and give us backhaul cost advantages. Ciena’s Carrier Ethernet platforms offer performance, scalability and simplified traffic engineering to expedite deployment and accommodate growth demands.”
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