THE SUB10 SYSTEMS STORY BACKGROUND During 2010, a multi-disciplined group of colleagues who knew each other well from periods working together in in successful telecoms companies such as Nortel Networks, Orthogon Systems and Motorola, researched an opening in the market place they saw as the “next big thing”. This was production and sales of Point-toPoint (PTP) wireless Ethernet bridges operating in the Millimetre Wave (mmW) area of spectrum, at frequencies above 50GHz. In order to address this opportunity Sub10 was incorporated, funding was raised and the management team set to work. WHY ARE WE CALLED SUB10? Wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency; in other words, the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength. Frequencies above 50GHz have wavelengths shorter than 10mm. Accordingly, we have adopted the name Sub10. THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY – MILLIMETRE WAVE It is widely recognised that lower radio frequencies (2GHz to 40GHz) are very heavily used, resulting in interference between wireless systems, with a commensurate deterioration in or loss of service. Spectrum above 50GHz is relatively lightly used as, until relatively recently, expertise to exploit these areas was generally confined to scientific, military or other low volume uses. Moreover, as components at these frequencies were not mass produced they were expensive. In the last 2 to 3 years, advances in chip design and other technologies have made it feasible to produce cost effective, high capacity PTP equipment operating in the mmW bands, where there is a large amount of unused or unallocated spectrum. In anticipation of these systems becoming commercially available, many administrations have released frequencies, above 50GHz, on a ‘Lightly Licensed’ or ‘License Exempt’ basis. THE SUB10 PLAN In order to address this space, the Sub10 team began designing an E band (70GHz & 80GHz PTP system. Fundamental to this design were components such as antennas and diplexers produced by the Swiss company Huber+Suhner (H+S). During these negotiations H+S drew the attention of the Sub10 team to a production quality 60GHz PTP link they had produced as a ‘showcase’ for their RF components. This link was called the Sencity SL-60. In late 2010, H+S and Sub10 completed an OEM agreement allowing Sub10 to develop their sales channels significantly earlier than planned. The agreement was completed quickly and, in March 2011, Sub10 began selling the H+S link under the brand name ‘Liberator’. 1
Sub10’s relationship with H+S grew stronger, subsequent to the OEM agreement, and in August 2011, Sub10 acquired the whole H+S wireless business. This acquisition resulted in Sub 10 occupying larger premises in Newton Abbot, Devon, UK. The new HQ offered sufficient space to accommodate the manufacturing, design, sales and marketing and administration departments covering activities for both the Liberator and Dominator ranges. . As soon as the new premises had been suitably modified, the Sub10 operations team moved all production capability from Switzerland to the UK and, since October 2011, have been producing Liberator-V320 links from their HQ location.
Ash House Since moving into their new HQ, Sub10 staff numbers have increased steadily, in the UK and overseas THE FUTURE In parallel with production and sales of Liberator, we continue developing the Dominator. The aim is to launch the first Dominator link during 2012. Unique Selling Points (USP) for the Dominator will be: • • • • • • • • • •
Small form factor (10cm across the antenna face) Low power consumption Up to 5km range, with carrier grade availability Class leading spectral efficiency for excellent frequency reuse Data throughput of at least 1Gb, full duplex Capacity upgrades to >3Gb delivered via a licence key Software ‘tuneable’ radio (Covering 70GHz and 80GHz) Simple alignment and installation processes High quality, rugged, reliable Low through life costs
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Typical applications for both Liberator and Dominator are: • • • • •
Linking mobile phone base-stations back to a Point of Presence Replacing Leased Lines for connecting buildings on a campus Extending Local Area Networks Disaster Recovery Temporary connections
The market ‘pull’ for many of these uses is the dramatically increasing demand for more data bandwidth, driven by: • • •
Sales of millions of ‘smart’ phones and their associated ‘apps’, requiring the installation of thousands of street level, small diameter, metro cells. Video surveillance and video conferencing requiring HD CCTV support. A widespread increase in the size of data files etc.
CONCLUSION Liberator is selling well, with the added benefit of allowing sub10 to re-establish former relationships and grow new ones within the wireless and business community. This has allowed us to make a smooth transition into the market ready for the launch of Dominator. A system that will offer complimentary performance and features to Liberator.
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