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Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation Enables Next Generation FTTH Networks With World's First GPON-Compliant PMD Chipset

Posted on: Tuesday, 25 July 2006, 09:00 CDT

Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq:VTSS), today extended its commitment to the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) market by introducing the GPON PRO family of physical media dependent (PMD) devices including the industry's first GPON OLT burst mode receiver solution. With new FTTH installations ramping, PON ICs are expected to become a $275M market by 2009 per industry analysts. The new chipset offers designers a complete PMD IC solution to enable BPON, EPON and GPON networks with measured performance that exceeds published specifications for those standards. The company is also offering a very competitive bundled pricing option for designers needing to integrate a full GPON solution into their design architecture. The new product family includes the VSC7718 - GPON OLT Burst Mode Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA), VSC7728 - GPON OLT Burst Mode Post Amplifier, VSC7970 - GPON ONU Continuous Mode TIA and the VSC7967 - GPON ONU Integrated Burst Mode Laser Driver and Continuous Mode Post Amplifier.

First GPON-Compliant OLT Chipset

In passive optical networks, the Optical Line Termination (OLT) is located within a service provider's central office and supplies Internet, video or voice content to multiple Optical Network Units (ONUs) near end users. One bi-directional optical fiber beginning at the OLT is separated into tributaries for each ONU using a passive splitter. While downstream communication from the OLT to each ONU operates using a continuous flow of data, upstream communication from each ONU to the OLT operates in timed bursts. This places special requirements on the ability of the OLT receiver to interpret these bursts.

The VSC7718 TIA and VSC7728 Post Amplifier, designed to be used in conjunction with one another, together form a complete receiver solution for GPON and EPON Optical Line Termination (OLT) applications. Applying the technical expertise gained from over 10 years of developing PMD devices for the communications market, internal validation efforts show that Vitesse successfully met the technical challenges faced in designing an OLT receiver solution to enable the GPON market.

The market has struggled to meet the timing, sensitivity, overload and dynamic range requirements of GPON while at the same time maintaining a manufacturable solution that will function at end-of-life. The VSC7718 and VSC7728 GPON PRO OLT receiver chipset exceeds all of the target specifications with better than -33 dBm sensitivity while leveraging Vitesse's proven architecture that delivers industry-leading overload performance of better than -4 dBm. This, in combination with over 23 dBm of dynamic range, provides the industry with the long-awaited PMD IC solution needed to enable mass rollout of GPON systems.

"We have worked closely with Vitesse throughout the development of the VSC7718 and VSC7728. These devices together form the industry's only GPON OLT receiver solution that fully meets our requirements, and we are very encouraged by the initial performance results as well as by the overall device functionality which simplifies the transceiver design and the interface between the transceiver and the GPON protocol device," stated Oren Marmur, CTO at FlexLight Networks. "We look forward to working with Vitesse over the next few months as we fully characterize this solution and deploy it into the field."

Complete ONU Chipset

The VSC7970 TIA and VSC7967 Integrated Burst Mode Laser Driver and Post Amplifier together provide a complete PMD IC solution for the ONU. Lab measurements show that the VSC7970, which has been in production for more than three years, has the largest dynamic range of any competitive TIA used in combination with an APD receiver. With a sensitivity of better than -33 dBm and overload of more than 0 dBm, the VSC7970 has been shown to continue operating even after the APD fails in an overload condition.

The VSC7967 is a second-generation integrated laser driver and post amplifier device for GPON applications. Based on the VSC7965 BPON/EPON integrated burst mode laser driver and post amplifier announced in March of 2005 (a LIGHTWAVE Attendees' Choice Awards Winner during OFC/NFOEC 2005), the software-managed architecture of the VSC7967 supports the full Digital Diagnostics requirements of GPON and provides the flexibility of adding customer-specific features.

"Where BPON deployment has reached maturity we see GPON being adopted by the industry for next generation systems as well as for greenfield implementations," said Matthew Dru, Product Marketing Manager. "Vitesse has developed the GPON PRO chipset to enable the adoption of GPON and in particular, to solve the GPON OLT burst mode receiver requirements along with enabling a cost effective ONU/ONT solution."

Availability

The VSC7967 is in initial production with the VSC7970 in mature volume shipments. The VSC7718 and VSC7728 are sampling now to strategic customers with general availability coming later this year.

Complete evaluation boards and reference designs with schematic, layout and BOM are available now.

About Vitesse

Vitesse designs, develops, and markets a diverse portfolio of high-performance, cost-competitive semiconductor solutions for communications and storage networks worldwide. Engineering excellence and dedicated customer service distinguish Vitesse as an industry leader in Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Ethernet-over-SONET, Advanced Switching, Fibre Channel, Serial Attached SCSI, Optical Transport, and other applications. Vitesse innovation empowers customers to deliver superior products for Enterprise, Access, Metro, and Core applications. Additional company and product information is available at www.vitesse.com.

Vitesse is a registered trademark in the United States and/or other jurisdictions of Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective holders.

Note to editors: Additional technical information is available at:

PON Technology Center: http://www.vitesse.com/PON

VSC7718 Product Page: http://www.vitesse.com/products/product.php?number=VSC7718

VSC7728 Product Page: http://www.vitesse.com/products/product.php?number=VSC7728

VSC7967 Product Page: http://www.vitesse.com/products/product.php?number=VSC7967

VSC7970 Product Page: http://www.vitesse.com/products/product.php?number=VSC7970

Source: Business Wire

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