Exalt Communications Arms Broadband Stimulus Applicants With Round 2 Resources and Backhaul Alternatives

CAMPBELL, CA--(Marketwire - February 11, 2010) - Exalt Communications, the company that is reinventing microwave backhaul, today made available a new resource for local governments, utilities, service providers and others who plan to apply for $4.8 billion in grants and loans available in Round 2 of the U.S. Government Stimulus Program to develop and expand broadband service. Prospective applicants are invited to visit www.exaltcom.com/stimulus to learn about the application process, the selection criteria that the U.S. Government will use in choosing Round 2 award recipients and the alternatives available from Exalt to support middle-mile and last-mile projects. Round 2 applications must be submitted between February 16 and March 15, 2010.

As explained on the Exalt website, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) are accepting applications for middle-mile and last-mile projects from state and local governments, commercial service providers and other entities. NTIA and RUS are encouraging interested entities to form public-private partnerships, and applications that reflect these partnerships and serve multiple community institutions -- such as community centers, libraries and hospitals -- will receive priority in the selection process.

The hundreds of projects selected will dramatically expand consumer access to broadband service, and high capacity backhaul is fundamental to that access. Visitors to the Exalt website can see how the Exalt industry-leading portfolio of microwave backhaul systems can deliver the backhaul capacity to meet any access network requirement, while delivering a time-to-market that beats both fiber and leased lines -- and at a cost that's more attractive than either -- for the majority of network scenarios.

Exalt microwave backhaul systems are ideal complements to rural broadband expansion programs because they can be installed on towers or rooftops in as little as one day, meet or beat the performance and reliability of copper and fiber lines, and cost significantly less. Thousands of Exalt microwave links have been deployed by carriers, local governments, public safety departments, rural utilities and other private network operators over the past several years, and these systems have delivered reliable, high-bandwidth performance over distances of up to 50 miles under even the most severe weather conditions.

"The Broadband Stimulus Program represents an historic opportunity to connect rural communities, grow local economies, create jobs and build out the nation's communications infrastructure -- all with the U.S. government's support," said Amir Zoufonoun, President and CEO of Exalt Communications. "Those chosen to receive awards need to design networks for immediate capacity needs while ensuring they will be able to scale capacity as demand grows. Exalt microwave backhaul systems offer a pay-as-you-grow approach for the ultimate in scalability, plus an unmatched combination of carrier-class performance, reliability and low total cost of ownership."

All Exalt microwave backhaul systems offer guaranteed link availability, guaranteed throughput and low, constant latency. Systems are available in world bands from 2 to 40 GHz and in capacities from 10 Mbps to more than 700 Mbps per channel, providing a range of options to fit countless network applications. Designed to enable a smooth transition to IP, they offer native support for both TDM and Ethernet, and are fully software configurable and upgradeable. For easy and secure management using third-party network management systems, Exalt systems support SNMP v1, v2c and v3. Data security is provided by available FIPS 197-compliant AES 128-bit and 256-bit encryption that adds zero latency to the transmission. To simplify installation and maintenance, all Exalt systems feature an embedded manual and most include a built-in spectrum analyzer.

About Exalt Communications

Exalt Communications provides next-generation microwave backhaul systems to service providers, government organizations and enterprises worldwide. Exalt systems are designed to solve the network bottlenecks associated with the growing demand for IP-based voice, data and video applications and the resulting migration from TDM to IP-based networks. With a flexible architecture and universal product platform covering multiple market segments, Exalt provides a full range of microwave radio systems that meet the demand for cost-effective and flexible alternatives to fiber and leased lines. www.exaltcom.com

Contact Information: Media Contacts: Pamela Valentine VP Marketing Outbound & Channel Exalt Communications pvalentine@exaltcom.com 408-871-1804 x351 Michael Schoolnik Story Public Relations michael@storypr.com 415-674-3816