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BridgeWave's Gigabit Wireless System Supplied Crucial Network Connectivity for the 82^nd Academy Awards® Ceremony

Santa Clara, Calif. – Apr. 20, 2010 – BridgeWave Communications, the leading supplier of gigabit wireless solutions, today announced that its GE80 gigabit wireless solution provided the crucial network backbone that allowed seamless, high-speed video file transfers between Chainsaw, a creative editorial and post-production company, and the 82nd Academy Awards® event at the Kodak Theatre last month.

The high-speed, gigabit Ethernet connection allowed Chainsaw the ability to edit, send and receive volumes of high-definition video files from their state-of-the-art facility in Hollywood, CA, to the production facilities at the Kodak Theatre less than one mile away. Previously a time-consuming task performed using couriers to hand-carry media back and forth between venues; BridgeWave's solution enabled a more efficient alternative.

Location Connect, an on-site network and IT service provider for special events, was tasked with implementing the project and determined that BridgeWave's 80 GHz system delivered the capacity, speed and reliability needed to meet the Academy's requirements.

“Given the nature of this high-profile event, we needed to make sure that we delivered a reliable, high-speed connection capable of handling the sheer volume of graphic-intensive traffic,” said Alex Pournelle, vice president of business development at Location Connect. “Since rain could potentially impede the network's connection, we sought a product that would perform regardless of the weather.”

In a matter of days, the link was commissioned and traffic was running 20 minutes after initial setup. Although it did rain intermittently during the three-week timeframe the link was used, there were no outages reported and the link was in operation 24/7. In the days leading up to the event, over 1,000 high-definition video files were transferred for editing, sound, and other production purposes. The high-speed connection between the facilities eliminated the need for and expense of couriers, as well as the security requirements related to screening couriers. Additionally, the potential for damage or destruction caused by hand-carrying the files was eliminated and traffic delays common with this event were avoided. It also eliminated the need for Chainsaw to have a physical presence at the Kodak Theatre.

“Transmitting playback material over a high-speed network, rather than supporting an on-site team and having couriers screened through security protocols, made our jobs that much more efficient,” said Tad Scripter, engineer in charge of Academy Awards telecast®. “Using a wireless network connection for an event like the Academy Awards® saved both time and money in accomplishing critical tasks.”

“The BridgeWave link was easy to install and once commissioned, the link performed flawlessly,” said Alex Pournelle. “As far as our client was concerned, the wireless network connection performed as if it was a LAN extension.”

“It is not uncommon to have last minute editing updates, so having the ability to transfer files electronically, versus using a courier service, made the process more efficient,” said Mike Polito, vice president of Chainsaw. “BridgeWave's network connection was effortless - our editors were able to hit, send, and forget.”

“BridgeWave was honored to have supplied the Academy with reliable, high-speed connectivity for the Oscar event,” said Amir Makleff, president and CEO of BridgeWave. “Every day brings us new opportunities to show different industries how our gigabit Ethernet wireless links are flexible enough to be used in both permanent and temporary situations.”

About BridgeWave Communications
Founded in 1999, BridgeWave Communications is the leading supplier of outdoor Gigabit wireless connectivity solutions. The company's exclusive AdaptRate™ and AdaptPath™ technologies combined with its advanced Forward Error Correction capability deliver the highest availability at the longest distances for full-rate gigabit links. BridgeWave's point-to-point, wireless solutions are widely deployed in mainstream enterprise and service provider network applications and are poised to play a key role in the migration to 4G mobile network backhaul. With the largest installed base of GigE radios worldwide, BridgeWave delivers the highest levels of product quality and reliability. For more information, visit www.bridgewave.com.

Acknowledgements
Oscar® and the Academy Awards® are registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and are used with permission. Other trade names used are protected by law.