Small cells are in demand for data off-load and in-building coverage

RICHARDSON, TX, February 8, 2011 - AirWalk Communications Inc., the leader in innovative small cell radio access networks, closed a further $10 million of Series B funding. This additional round of funds was led by Sevin Rosen and included investors: TL Ventures, Alta Berkeley, Duchossois Technology Partners and Nedelco Inc.  AirWalk plans to use the investment to expand its small cell product portfolio, enhance the capabilities of existing CDMA products and launch LTE solutions.

As a pioneer in the small cell market AirWalk has combined its unique expertise of integrating IP-based radio access networks into a small, inexpensive form factor.  AirWalk offers operators a variety of solutions to extend coverage and capacity with femtocells, enterprise femtocells, picocells, metrocells and microcells.  

In recent years, small cells have become an essential enhancement to the established overloaded macro networks. The improvements in mobile video capabilities and the growing popularity of data applications have created a data usage surge causing network congestion in hotspots or offices where users congregate.  In addition, demand for better voice and data coverage inside buildings and homes is expanding.  To address these developing market dynamics, operators are now deploying small cells to enable data to be off-loaded from the macro network seamlessly onto small cells within buildings.

“The rapid growth in new services, especially video, is generating increased network traffic. In short, more devices leads to more traffic, more traffic requires more capacity, and demand for more capacity requires more small cells”, said Serge Pequeux, AirWalk’s president and CEO. “AirWalk is focusing its strategy, expertise and resources toward developing a portfolio of CDMA and LTE small cell products to solve a variety of network growth challenges.”

“The changing network architecture paradigm suggests a shift from traditional macro base stations towards the growing use of compact base stations or small cells. Driving this transition is the increasing demand for data services, the increasing gap in peak and average throughput for 3G/4G technologies, and the cost savings in deploying small cells in terms of both OPEX and CAPEX,” according to Aditya Kaul, Practice Director, Mobile Networks, ABI Research. “AirWalk has been an innovator especially in the enterprise femtocell/picocell space and is well positioned to grow its business and expand its reach within the burgeoning small cell market”.

In recent years, AirWalk has demonstrated their small cell leadership by launching products such as the the EdgePointTM PRO, the first enterprise femtocell; the EdgePointTM, the award-winning consumer femtocell; as well as the world’s smallest picocell, the AW100.

About AirWalk Communications:           

AirWalk Communications, Inc. is a leader in innovative small cell solutions. AirWalk’s portfolio, consisting of femtocells, enterprise femtocells, picocells and microcells, complements the existing macro network by enabling operators to extend coverage and capacity in high-density areas. As operators deploy 4G/LTE networks, small cells play a vital role in delivering seamless coverage and capacity, and AirWalk’s unique flat IP architecture is the preferred solution for small cell deployments. Established in 2002, AirWalk is a privately held CDMA and LTE radio access network company with a worldwide customer base.  For more information, visit www.airwalkcom.com.