Airspan Adds 5 GHz Unlicensed Bands and "Fat Pipe Strong Pipe" Technology to Its iBridge Small Cell Backhaul Technology

BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwire - Feb 25, 2013) -  Airspan Networks Inc., a leading provider of 4G LTE broadband wireless access networks, announced today that it is has added IEEE 802.11ac 5GHz unlicensed LOS capability to its existing NLOS licensed band support. This addition is supported by the launch of the "Fat Pipe Strong Pipe" (FPSP) engine that allows dynamic augmentation of robust licensed band links with large 80 and 160 MHz IEEE 802.11ac pipes.

The FPSP engine is an innovative "Packet by Packet" Ethernet packet classification and selection transport hub which ensures the highest performance while maintaining full end-to-end QoS for different traffic types. FPSP does this by dynamically selecting licensed or unlicensed radio paths in real-time. This technology operates in Point to Multipoint and Relay modes.

Paul Senior, CTO of Airspan Networks, commented, "Small cell rollout requires a backhaul toolset. Licensed and unlicensed backhaul technologies each have their own strengths and weaknesses. We have combined these into a single package, with a single management framework that allows carriers to benefit from the use of 1Gbit/s unlicensed band links where available, without sacrificing the quality and robustness of using Sub 5 GHz NLOS licensed backhaul."

Airspan's iBridge backhaul solution building blocks include; 

• iBridge Feeder Base - using an AirSynergy 2000 node
• iBridge Feeder Terminal - using an AirSynergy 2000 node
• iBridge Feeder Relay - using an AirSynergy 2000 node
• iBridge CPE using either a Switched Beam or High Gain Directional antenna
• iBridge module for integration into third-party small cells

All iBridge nodes are designed to support either single or dual FPSP radio configurations.

Licensed band support includes;

• 400-700 MHz, 700-800 MHz, 1.4 GHz, 1.8 GHz
• 2.3-2.4 GHz, 2.5-2.7 GHz, 3.3-3.8 GHz
• 4.9 GHz, 5.1 GHz, and 5.9-6.4 GHz
  

Unlicensed bands support includes 5.1-5.9 GHz

Airspan solutions address the needs of carriers, operators and industrial applications across the globe. Airspan products include indoor and outdoor Pico cells, compact outdoor Micro and Macro base stations, a wide variety of user devices, and advanced core network products providing 4G LTE connectivity solutions operating in bands from 400 MHz up to 6.4 GHz.

About Airspan Networks Inc.
Airspan (PINKSHEETS: AIRO) is a leading 4G wireless solution provider. With over 1000 customers in over 100 countries and as a top vendor for carrier-class broadband wireless solutions, Airspan is recognized as a leader and pioneer in 4G and broadband wireless technologies. Providing an expansive product portfolio, Airspan offers customers the widest selection of 4G products in the industry with an unsurpassed level of technology to benefit their business case. www.airspan.com.

Oak Investment Partners XI, Limited Partnership holds a controlling interest in Airspan. Airspan is not subject to the informational reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, accordingly, does not file reports, financial statements, proxy statements, information statements or other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. The words "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "projects," "will," "would" and similar expressions or negative variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. Investors and others are therefore cautioned that a variety of factors, including certain risks, may affect our business and cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.