Norwegian company Polewall AS has introduced the LH-100, a 100/100-Mbps symmetrical optical wireless bridge targeting the price-sensitive broadband access market. Featuring robotic alignment and tracking and an iPhone-based commissioning tool, the LH-100 optical link can be installed by a single field engineer in less than an hour, contends the company.

The patented LH-100 is a 100/100-Mbps symmetrical optical wireless bridge that reuses the principles of free space optics (FSO) technology from advanced military and space applications. Optical wireless technology differs from radio-based wireless links in that it is immune to radio interference, does not use valuable radio spectrum, and can therefore be used repeatedly in densely populated areas.

Historical buildings, paved roads, and manicured parks all add time and complexity to a fiber-optic network’s rollout.“Polewall's solution for home drops offers interesting possibilities in geographies where trenching is expensive and markets where lead times are so long that customers don't have the patience to wait,” explains Benôit Felten, chief research officer of consultancy firm Diffraction Analysis.

“Our 100-Mbps link is a temporary means of connecting customers to broadband infrastructure while waiting for the fiber-optic cable to be completed,” adds Polewall’s executive chairman, Carl-Fredrik Lehland. “Both business and residential customers can now be connected in days, not weeks or months.”

Polewall’s LH-100 has a small footprint, is license-free worldwide, and can be non-intrusively installed; for instance, on the inside of building windows. With its low latency and jitter, the link handles triple play and HD streaming with fiber-like quality, the company asserts. Rapid service activation increases customer satisfaction, reduces churn, and accelerates revenue generation for the operators, adds Lehland.

Related: Market for free-space optical wireless systems expanding