Airvana User Labs Demonstrate 5-Fold Data Speed Improvement with HubBub(TM) UMTS Femtocell

LAS VEGAS, March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CTIA Wireless 2010, Booth 2023 -- Recent in-building performance tests conducted for Airvana's AIRV HubBub™ UMTS femtocell demonstrated marked improvement of indoor 3G data performance, on average five times faster than that of the macro-cellular network. Mobile data network capacity and performance have become increasingly critical for operators who need to meet the exploding demand for mobile data services while providing a satisfying experience to their subscribers. By delivering high data rates while diverting traffic off the macro radio access network, the HubBub™ femtocell becomes a powerful data offload solution for mobile operators.

In side-by-side testing, HubBub UMTS users achieved broadband data rates approximately five times faster than on the existing wireless macro network. Femtocell data rates also proved to be significantly more consistent than the macrocell data rates. In tests conducted under varying conditions, HubBub UMTS femtocell users achieved a throughput of 5 Mbps or better -- out of a theoretical peak HSDPA rate of 7.2 Mbps -- 80 percent of the time.

To support the ongoing Airvana User Experience Lab program, the company's radio frequency (RF) engineering team used the same custom-developed testing hardware and software used to measure performance of the HubBub CDMA femtocell (see Airvana User Labs Demonstrate Greater Than Five-Fold Data Speed Increase with HubBub Femtocell -- March 23, 2009). In the latest tests, macrocell network data speeds and Airvana's HubBub UMTS femtocell data speeds were measured in a variety of dwelling types in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Detailed results of the performance testing for both the HubBub CDMA and HubBub UMTS femtocells, which was conducted as part of broader mobile operator femtocell trials, were published in the January 2010 issue of the IEEE Communications Magazine.

"Our User Experience Labs testing program continues to quantify the remarkable in-building data speeds achievable with our 3G HubBub femtocells," said David Nowicki, vice president, product management and marketing, Airvana. "By delivering a superior experience while removing both data and signaling traffic from the RAN, femtocells can help alleviate the network capacity crunch facing mobile operators globally."

Despite the conventional wisdom that data traffic is the primary culprit contributing to network capacity issues, research from Airvana has shown that signaling traffic associated with smartphone usage creates a significant "network load multiplier effect" on the macrocell network. Smartphones are always on, moving between cell sites and continually "polling" the network. This type of activity results in smartphones producing eight times more signaling traffic per bit of data transferred compared with a laptop.  This signaling load multiplier effect highlights the urgent need for improved mobile data off-load strategies. For consumers, femtocells provide a way to take control of their 3G experience by essentially providing a "private 3G environment" exclusively for use by members of the household or office.

Airvana and its partners provide operators with a complete line of femtocell solutions including HubBub CDMA and UMTS residential femtocells, HubBub UMTS High Capacity femtocell with HSPA+ data speeds of up to 21 Mbps, Femtocell Service Manager, and a variety of integrated home gateway femtocell solutions.

About Airvana

Airvana helps operators transform the mobile experience for users worldwide.  The company's high-performance technology and products, from comprehensive 3G femtocell solutions based on its HubBub™ CDMA and UMTS femtocells, to core mobile broadband network infrastructure, enable operators to deliver compelling broadband services to mobile subscribers, wherever they are. Airvana's products are deployed in 70 commercial networks on six continents. The company is headquartered in Chelmsford, Mass., USA, with offices worldwide. For more information, please visit www.airvana.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Airvana constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements typically contain the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," "continue" and similar expressions. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including without limitation the timing and rate of femtocell market acceptance and growth, operator femtocell deployment plans, the highly competitive and rapidly evolving market in which Airvana competes, Airvana's limited operating history, the fluctuation of its past operating results, Airvana's anticipated reliance on sales through a new reseller, Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson, for a significant portion of its revenues and product and service billings and other factors discussed in Airvana's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Airvana's views as of the date of this press release. Airvana anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change. While Airvana may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Airvana's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

SOURCE Airvana, Inc.