TenXc Wireless gets boost from CITO for proof of concept of antenna technology

TenXc Wireless will use a $100,000-loan from Communications and Information Technology Ontario (CITO) to prove the company’s antenna intelligence software can significantly increase network capacity for mobile wireless operators. The company, which is the first recipient to receive funding under CITO’s new Accelerator Investment Program, conducted proof-of-concept tests last month and is now demonstrating the product for existing and future customers. The Ottawa-based start-up is excited to have made the grade. "This is a new program for CITO and we’ve had a good long history with them and we consider it a major achievement to be included and to be their first company to launch this new program with," says Ross Ernst, TenXc’s VP marketing and communications. The company has developed radio signal processing algorithms that, when combined with some antenna innovations, can substantially increase the capacity that existing wireless networks can carry. TenXc’s technology is designed to help wireless operators deal with increasing capacity constraints on existing networks. The current state of the market shows that wireless operators have capacity issues today, Ernst says, adding that TenXc can help carriers solve the problem. "They have a substantial investment in the network in terms of their existing technology base so in order to assist them solve the problems with their current generation of technologies and deployed equipment, we are designing our first product solutions orientated such that they can deploy it as a cellular enhancement to existing networks without having to change out the entire network infrastructure to take advantage of it," he tells Report on Wireless. TenXc’s technology also has an advantage over older technology because it’s an all-digital system, Ernst says. "Current technology uses passive antennas and they don’t use algorithms to do the pre-processing before they put the signal into the network. So this would be quite an innovation. There have been smart antennas deployed in networks before, but those are based on an analog architecture whereas ours takes an all-digital approach, which opens opportunities in terms of product possibilities and integration ultimately and to future base station design. "There’s two components, but the real power of the company and the core technology lies in the smarts or the intelligence within the software and the signal processing," he adds. TenXc has had discussions with at least three wireless operators interested in the technology. One of them considers using the technology as a competitive advantage, and as such has put a lock on releasing its identity. The company has also approached equipment manufacturers, but interest from this segment has been less committal. Ernst would not reveal the identities of the other companies involved, citing confidentiality provisions. To date, TenXc has received about $2 million in financing from both seed investors and the venture capital community. It received $750,000 in seed financing when the company was formed in the spring of 2002. Venture Coaches, which has invested in other wireless companies such as Spotwave Wireless, and the Business Development Bank of Canada are the two primary investors. Existing cash on hand should take the company through to Series A funding, which is slated to take place in the spring of 2004. The company will work on refining its product and testing it for its customers over the next several months until the Series A financing next spring. Ernst says that 12-15 months following next spring’s anticipated financing, the company should be ready to head into product trials with customers. If everything falls into place, TenXc will commercially introduce its smart antenna product by the summer of 2005.

TenXc Wireless gets boost from CITO for proof of concept of antenna technology

News | 09/23/2003 4:00 am EDT

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