There's another new kid on the wireless backhaul block, and its name is Sub10 Systems Ltd.

Founded in 2010 and based in the idyllic English country of Devon, Sub10 Systems announced on Thursday that it has acquired a microwave radio product line from Swiss company Huber+Suhner Inc. for an undisclosed sum, a move that will expand the startup's product line and its order books.

The U.K. startup, which specializes in millimeter-wave and wireless point-to-point systems for mobile operators and enterprises, is looking to the emerging 4G small cell market as a prime target for its high-capacity radios.

Before today's acquisition, Sub10 already had a relationship with Huber+Suhner. The startup resold the product line it has just acquired under its own Liberator brand as well as bought components from Huber+Suhner for its own Liberator products. Sub10 said it will continue to source components from Huber+Suhner.

These wireless radios operate in the 60GHz frequency band and have capacity of up to 320Mbit/s over a distance of up to 1 kilometer.

"Microwave has been sold on distance and speed, traditionally," said Sub10 CEO Stuart Broome. "We're doing it on speed and form factor. We have a very small form factor that's easy on the eye and blends into the environment."

The high capacity and product design is what the company believes will make its wireless backhaul products suitable for 4G small cell deployments.

Broome did not name any of its mobile operator customers. Current users of its products are operators, public safety organizations and large enterprises for campus links between buildings.

Why this matters
Sub10 will pose a challenge to other millimeter wave companies like BridgeWave Communications , E-Band Communications Corp. and Siklu, as well as larger microwave equipment suppliers like Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) or NEC Corp. (Tokyo: 6701). It is also the latest in a string of startups to target the small cell backhaul market with hopes that their technology has the blend of capacity, price and reliability that operators are looking for.

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— Michelle Donegan, European Editor, Light Reading Mobile