March 8, 2010 - DragonWave Inc, a leading global supplier of packet microwave radio systems for mobile and access networks, today announced that the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) has agreed to a commercial field test using DragonWave’s Horizon Quantum radio product.

NTUA is pursuing funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for a $46M grant that includes a 530 mile of fiber optic deployment and a 57-site Long Term Evolution LTE 4G network that would provide broadband throughout 15,000 miles of the Navajo Nation, which, at 27,000 square miles, is the largest American Indian land base in the United States.

According to Walter Haase, General Manager of NTUA, “The network is designed to enable unprecedented applications such as broadband Internet access, distance learning and telemedicine that will certainly benefit people here on the Navajo Nation. Using microwave to tie remote sites to the fiber for 4G technologies is an integral enabler of our overall strategy to meet and exceed expectations.”

To support NTUA’s application, DragonWave is installing a commercial pilot network near Fort Defiance, Arizona, in which the Horizon Quantum is backhauling 700 MHZ LTE base stations.

“As a state of the art 4G backhaul radio, the scalability, spectral efficiency, and advanced synchronization of the Quantum product are an excellent fit for our application. Affordable last mile backhaul is one of the biggest challenges in deploying 4G services in rural America,” noted Steve Nez, NTUA Communications Supervisor.

“We are excited about the opportunity to work with the NTUA on this innovative network,” said Peter Allen, president and CEO, DragonWave. “Our work with leading 4G service providers enabled us to create the industry’s first solution that is truly optimized for LTE backhaul. The Horizon Quantum offers the industry’s highest capacity, leading spectral efficiency and lowest total cost of ownership in carrier-grade, native-Ethernet microwave transport.”