Airspan Deploys First Russian WiMAX Network For MetroMAX





MetroMAX Deploys 802.16-2004 Compliant Network for Samara Region

BOCA RATON, FL -/January 3, 2006 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- Airspan Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AIRN), a leading worldwide provider of WiMAX-based broadband wireless access networks and carrier class Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions, today announced that it has deployed the first-ever Russian WiMAX network for MetroMAX.

MetroMAX was established in 2005 by private investors to build and operate an IP-based voice and data network in the Samara region of Russia. More than 3 million people currently reside in the region, which covers approximately 536,000 square km. Samara is a major oil producing and refining, light and heavy engineering center, with a gross regional product per capita that is more than 30% above the Russian national average. Less than 5% of Samaran residents currently have access to broadband communications. MetroMAX's goal is to cover the entire region by the end of 2006 with a WiMAX-based system. The initial Airspan deployment is in the largest city, Samara, which has 1.2 million inhabitants. At first, MetroMAX will offer its subscribers high-speed Internet access, standard VoIP services as well as virtual private networks for small and medium-sized enterprises. By the middle of 2006, it expects to have deployed Airspan's VoiceMAX solution in the network, giving it the ability to offer toll-quality VoIP services as well in a fully-integrated network system. KKS Telecom, one of Airspan's principal distributors in Russia, is assisting in the deployment of the MacroMAX base stations and EasyST and ProST customer premise devices in the network.

Commenting on the transaction, Anders Rendahl, Airspan's Vice President and General Manager -- EMEA, said: "We are very pleased to be the first to sell and deploy a fully compliant 802.16-2004 system in the Russian market, particularly to a company like MetroMAX.
Airspan has enjoyed a successful presence in Russia with its proprietary products since 1998. We have built more than 50 networks there, with capacity in excess of tens of thousands lines. The introduction of our newest WiMAX products is the result of the excellent reputation we have built as the most credible broadband wireless access systems provider in the country."

Yuri Kozyrev, General Manager of MetroMAX added: "After extensive comparison of WiMAX systems, we chose Airspan's new AS.MAX platform because of its exceptional performance and the ability of the system to offer seamlessly integrated voice services. The ability to offer more than just broadband data capabilities is essential to the success of any broadband network operator in today's market of bundled service offerings."

Airspan's AS.MAX product range consists of Macro and Micro base stations and indoor and outdoor customer premises equipment (CPE).
AS.MAX is world's first commercial end-to-end system to fully support the IEEE standard 802.16-2004, the standard on which WiMAX Forum Certified(TM) products is based. IEEE 802.16-2004 includes important functions that allow both fixed and nomadic services to be provided to both traditional outdoor fixed CPEs and new, plug-and-play, self-installable Indoor WiMAX modems like Airspan's "EasyST".

Advanced linear power amplifiers and multi-channel transmit and receive diversity are combined with uplink sub-channelisation and full dynamic modulation to enable MacroMAX to deliver a 160dB link budget, enough to provide proper indoor coverage.

The AS.MAX product range, which is designed to be WiMAX Forum Certified(TM), is a complete portfolio of Base Stations and CPEs. Commercially available AS.MAX Products include:

MacroMAX -- High Performance Macro Cell Base Station

-- Full 802.16-2004 Software Defined Radio for Fixed and Nomadic Operation
-- 3.5 GHz FDD Operation (>10Mbit/s Net on Downlink and Uplink simultaneously)
-- High Performance Radio System (+37dBm Output Power, -103dBm Rx Sensitivity)
-- Multi-Channel Transmit and Receive Diversity
-- Full support for BPSK to 64QAM Dynamic Modulation on Downlink and Uplink
-- Full QoS Support (including CIR and MIR)
-- Support for Uplink Sub-Channelisation


EasyST -- Indoor, Self-Installable Nomadic WiMAX CPEs

-- Full 802.16-2004 Fixed and Nomadic Operation
-- 3.5 GHz FDD Operation (>10Mbit/s Net, shared over uplink and downlink)
-- HD-FDD CPE based on Intel ProWireless 5116 Silicon
-- High Performance Radio (+24dBm Output Power, -103dBm Rx Sensitivity)
-- Support for BPSK to 64QAM Dynamic Modulation on Downlink and Uplink
-- Advanced Antenna System with Uplink Sub-channelisation and Switched Diversity
-- Integral SIM Card Reader


ProST and ProST-WiFi -- Outdoor Fixed WiMAX CPEs

-- Full 802.16-2004 Fixed and Nomadic Operation
-- 3.5 GHz FDD Operation (>10Mbit/s Net, shared over uplink and downlink)
-- HD-FDD CPE based on Intel ProWireless 5116 Silicon
-- High Performance Radio (+23dBm Output Power, -103dBm Rx Sensitivity)
-- Support for 64QAM Dynamic Modulation on Downlink and Uplink
-- High Gain Antenna Options (15dBi and 18dBi) with Uplink Sub-channelisation
-- ProST-WiFi: Integrated 802.11b/g Access Point, support for Multi-SSIDs and VLANs.


About MetroMAX

Information on MetroMAX can be found at http://www.metromax.ru

About Airspan Networks Inc.

Airspan Networks provides fixed and wireless voice and data systems and solutions, including Voice Over IP (VoIP). Its wireless products serve operators around the world in both licensed and unlicensed frequency bands between 700 MHz and 6 GHz, including both PCS and 3.5GHz international bands. Airspan has a strong wireless product roadmap that includes offerings compliant with the new WiMAX 802.16-2004 standard, and software upgradeability to 802.16e from the time the WiMAX products are introduced. Airspan is on the Board and a founder member of the WiMAX Forum. Through its newly acquired Radionet division, the company also offers 802.11-based metrozone networks and applications for various enterprise vertical markets.

The Company has deployments with more than 300 operators in more than 95 countries. Airspan's wireless systems are based on radio technology that delivers excellent area coverage, high security and resistance to fading. These systems can be deployed rapidly and cost effectively, providing an attractive alternative to traditional wired communications networks. Airspan's new i-Tone VoIP system is a carrier class, turnkey solution that provides carriers with Class 4, Class 5 and IP-Centrex solutions and has a Softswitch and Gateways supporting SIP/H323 and SIP. i-Tone's design provides customers; carriers, next-generation telcos, cellular providers and ITSP with a wide range of solutions with the best price/performance system for IP telephony. Airspan also offers radio planning, network installation, integration, training and support services to facilitate the deployment and operation of its systems. Airspan is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida with its main operations center in Uxbridge, United Kingdom.

More information on Airspan can be found at http://www.airspan.com