BridgeWave Nabs $10.3M for 4G Backhaul

Wireless backhaul specialist BridgeWave Communications announced on Tuesday that is has raised US$10.3 million in a new funding round.

Intel Capital and Morgan Creek Capital Management led the round, with participation from existing investors Core Capital Partners and Cipio Partners .

The company said it will use the new funds to support 4G network deployments in 2012.

Founded in 1999, BridgeWave specializes in millimeter-wave backhaul and gigabit wireless connectivity.

Why this matters
The fresh funding serves as another reminder that backhaul is hot. It shows that the need for higher-capacity, lower-cost backhaul technologies appears to know no bounds as mobile data users demand ever more speed and capacity from new HSPA+ and Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks.

Millimeter-wave backhaul products, like BridgeWave's, that operate in high-frequency spectrum -- such as between 60GHz and 80GHz -- deliver high-capacity links over short distances, which can be attractive for LTE deployments. The technology has also emerged as a potential candidate to support small cells.

And BridgeWave isn't the only millimeter-wave vendor getting investors' attention: Rival startup Siklu Communications Ltd. recently raised $19 million and gained Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) as an investor. (See Qualcomm Invests in Small-Cell Backhaul Startup.)

For more
Here's the backstory on BridgeWave and the emerging market for small-cell backhaul:

• BridgeWave Wins in Abu Dhabi
• Bridgewave Backhauls Clearwire
• Ridin' Millimeter Waves to 4G
• Provigent, BridgeWave Team Up
• BridgeWave Gets EU Certification
• More Startups Target Small-Cell Backhaul
• Startups Rush to Small-Cell Backhaul

— Michelle Donegan, European Editor, Light Reading Mobile