SANTA CLARA, Calif. and KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait, Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNW), today announced it has partnered with Middle East Telecommunications Company (METCO) to upgrade the microwave backhaul network for Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait. Since 2004, Zain's microwave backhaul has been built exclusively using Aviat's Eclipse platform, which now supports the deployment of new LTE-based services. Zain Kuwait, a part of the Zain Group, one of the largest and fastest growing mobile telecommunications operators in the world, has just launched LTE, which provides customers with the fastest mobile Internet speed in the country. It is the first mobile operator in the country to launch nationwide 4G technology.

"METCO plays the role of strategic partner to Zain, helping the operator plan and deploy their backhaul network," says Bassem A. Jalil, CEO of METCO. "We continuously support Zain in evolving their backhaul network to address the exponential increase in data traffic and technology evolution. Using Aviat's technologies has helped us achieve those goals."

METCO has been working with Zain for the past 25 years in transmission and backhaul networks in several countries including Kuwait, Iraq and Sudan. Zain Kuwait has kept a close relationship with METCO, from the days of purely TDM based interfaces.

As Zain's access network migrated from 2G to 3G, its Eclipse microwave backhaul began to evolve. Zain now has a backhaul with the latest innovations introduced into the Eclipse Packet Node microwave-networking platform. This will allow the mobile operator to vastly increase backhaul link capacity as it begins to consolidate mobile phone technologies at each cell site.

"Aviat Networks provides LTE-proven microwave backhaul solutions to the world's largest carriers, including Zain, delivering superior IP/Ethernet and RF performance," says Michael Pangia, President and CEO of Aviat Networks. "Our backhaul solutions are serving networks with an excess of 3 million LTE devices."

"Zain has always had an all Aviat Eclipse microwave backhaul network, which has been integrated through METCO," says Fahad Al-Ali, Director – Network Division – Zain Kuwait. "We want to simplify our business; we want to grow our network. METCO can provide all the business and technology expertise that will help Zain achieve its goals."

About Middle East Telecommunications (METCO):     

Established in 1978, Middle East Telecommunications Company (METCO) - a subsidiary of Towell International Holding, a leading telecommunication and information technology solutions integrator in the Middle East and Africa. Headquartered in Kuwait, METCO's corporate presence extends to Iraq, Oman, and Sudan. To deploy its solutions and deliver its services, METCO partners with leading manufacturers of enterprise and carrier grade technology including Avaya (Platinum Partner), Aviat Networks, Ciena (Golden BizConnect Partner, and a Diamond Accredited Partner for Ethernet Products), NEC, Tellabs and other vendors.

For more information, please visit www.metconetworks.com

About Aviat Networks

Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNW) is a leading global provider of microwave networking solutions transforming communications networks to handle the exploding growth of IP-centric, multi-Gigabit data services. With more than 750,000 systems installed around the world, Aviat Networks provides LTE-proven microwave networking solutions to mobile operators, including some of the largest and most advanced 4G/LTE networks in the world. Public safety, utility, government and defense organizations also trust Aviat Networks' solutions for their mission-critical applications where reliability is paramount. In conjunction with its networking solutions, Aviat Networks provides a comprehensive suite of localized professional and support services enabling customers to effectively and seamlessly migrate to next generation Carrier Ethernet/IP networks. For more than 50 years, customers have relied on Aviat Networks' high performance and scalable solutions to help them maximize their investments and solve their most challenging network problems. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Aviat Networks operates in 46 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.aviatnetworks.com or connect with Aviat Networks on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Aviat Networks, Inc.