About LOEA
Corporate Overview
Loea Corporation is the pioneer in the development of high-bandwidth, wireless point-to-point networking solutions operating in the 70/80GHz millimeter wave spectrum. Founded in 2001, Loea is a privately-held subsidiary of Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex), a diversified high-technology company based in San Diego, California, specializing in solutions based on microwave sensing, high resolution imaging, digital signal processing, applied optics and materials. Loea is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii and has R&D/Manufacturing facilities in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii and West Hatfield, Massachusetts. Loea’s Sales and Marketing group is based in San Diego, California.
A History of Millimeter Wave Development
Loea’s parent company, Trex Enterprises Corporation, has been actively involved in millimeter wave research and development since 1990. The technology was initially used for aviation support systems but quickly became the foundation for other innovative solutions including security imaging applications and wireless communications systems.
Trex’s extensive background in Free Space Optics (FSO) was a catalyst in this wireless system development. Trex created its first FSO system in the late 1980’s and successfully demonstrated high-speed optical wireless connectivity shortly thereafter. But the impact of certain weather conditions (e.g., fog, snow, clouds, dust) on FSO link availability sparked the idea of using radio frequency (RF) for more robust communications. A new RF-based wireless solution offering Gigabit bandwidths and operating in the relatively-unused 70/80GHz millimeter wave frequency band was created in Trex’s Maui, Hawaii office in 2001.
That same year, Loea Corporation (whose name refers to “high technology” in the native Hawaiian language) was created as the first company of its kind to focus primarily on high capacity millimeter wave radio solutions.
A Leadership Position
Loea has spearheaded the approval and use of millimeter wave spectrum and technology since its inception. Loea and its CTO, Dr. John Lovberg, authored the Rules and Regulations for the use of this new spectrum and successfully petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its adoption. In 2003, the FCC approved the 70/80GHz frequency (also known as E-Band) for commercial use
Among Loea’s leadership activities include:
- Key architect of the FCC petition for opening new millimeter wave spectrum in 2001
- First to demonstrate a 71.0-86.0GHz radio system in 2001
- First to deploy under Special Temporary Authority from the FCC in 2002
- First to receive NTIA Equipment Certification of Government Applications in 2003
- First to achieve FCC Equipment Certification in 2005
