CAMPBELL, Calif. — Exalt Communications, Inc., the leading innovator of next-generation packet microwave backhaul systems, announced that Bluegrass Cellular, Inc. of Elizabethtown, KY has deployed Exalt microwave systems to provide cell site backhaul to its core network. The Exalt systems were the obvious choice for mobile backhaul, and they deliver superior performance, reliability, and economics compared with leased lines.

Bluegrass Cellular provides 2G, 3G, and LTE mobile services in central Kentucky, a mountainous region where infrastructure is sparse. It was an easy decision to choose Exalt systems to deliver T1 service and up to 100 megabits-per-second (Mbps) of Ethernet connectivity for the network.

“We need a great deal of bandwidth to support our LTE service, but we also need T1 to support our 2G services,” said Doug Updegraff, Director of Engineering at Bluegrass Cellular. “Exalt gives us the ability to support native T1 and native Ethernet with reliability and ease of use.”

The Exalt systems backhaul mobile traffic from more than 150 cell sites to Bluegrass Cellular’s core fiber network. The operator deployed Exalt all-indoor 6 GHz systems along with Exalt split-mount systems in the 11 and 18 GHz frequency bands. Despite the mountainous terrain in the area, the systems have remained reliable in weather conditions.

“Mobile operators like Bluegrass Cellular are bringing rural communities opportunities for economic development, jobs, education, healthcare, and beyond, giving Americans the choice to live and work where they choose,” said Amir Zoufonoun, CEO of Exalt. “But their networks are straining under the bandwidth demands of LTE service, T1 lines do not scale, and the recurring leased line costs negatively affect profitability. By choosing Exalt microwave systems, Bluegrass Cellular has been able to rapidly increase network bandwidth to meet subscriber demand with the highest reliability and at the lowest cost per-bit.”

About Exalt Communications
Exalt Communications provides next-generation packet microwave backhaul systems to mobile operators, broadband service providers, government agencies, and enterprises worldwide. Exalt wireless systems are used most often as a complement or cost-effective alternative to fiber. They also have been inherently designed to support the rapid build out of the LTE mobile Internet infrastructure driven by ever growing user-generated traffic and fueled by the accelerated adoption rate of smartphones and tablets.