While traditional Internet providers are still scrambling to come up with a response to Google Fiber, a startup called Mimosa Networks Inc. is leapfrogging ahead with new low-cost backhaul hardware and a suite of complementary cloud services for delivering gigabit-speed wireless connections. The launch takes aim at the growing bandwidth challenge of the fast-expanding connected universe.

The centerpiece of Mimosa’s value proposition is the B5 Backhaul radio, which implements a cutting-edge 10G Wi-Fi chip from Quantenna Communications Inc. in a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array that can support up to 16 streams with as much as 4Gbps of throughput each in a single channel. That represents a major improvement over what can be achieved with existing products, a speed boost that the product is able to sustain leveraging a spectrum analysis capability which continuously monitors channels and automatically switches to a different one in the event of interference.

To further optimize the reliability and efficiency of wireless connections, the B5 tracks usage and compares historical trends with real-time activity to optimize bandwidth, frequency and power consumption depending on the specific situation. It also collects location data that customers can sync up to their Mimosa Cloud Services accounts in order to carry out additional tweaks.

The suite provides a Google Maps-integrated designer that the startup says allows providers  to take local obstructions into consideration when expanding their infrastructure, and visually plan out links based on the topology of the given area where they’re looking to set up. Also included in the bundle are monitoring capabilities that allows operators to track the performance of individual radios and aggregate data from across their network to identify new opportunities for improvement, according to Mimosa.

The B5 is available in two editions:  a 5GHz radio with an integrated antenna priced at $899 and a slightly cheaper radio-only version dubbed the B5c that comes in at $839. The launch marks the completion of the first phase in Mimosa’s grandiose plan for revolutionizing wireless networking and follows hot on the heels of it raising $20 million in a third round of funding led by New Enterprise Associates.

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