NETWORKS

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS -- At the European Conference on Optical Communications today, Intel Corporation introduced a new optical networking subsystem designed to deliver 10 Gigabit Ethernet and OC-192 SONET/SDH communications on a single line card. Intel also announced the world's first complete CMOS Physical Medium Dependent (PMD) chipset for 10 Gigabit per second (Gbps) applications. The Intel solutions support two key data transport standards for high-speed networks -- SONET/SDH and 10 Gigabit Ethernet -- and provide investment protection to both telecommunications equipment manufacturers and their customers, the telecom service providers. SONET/SDH is the primary optical data transport standard deployed today in the telecommunications industry. However, 10 Gigabit Ethernet is becoming a desirable option for metropolitan area networks because it offers similar bandwidth at significantly lower cost. "This technology allows our customers to take advantage of the convergence of data rates at 10 Gbps in metropolitan area networks," said Michael Ricci, vice president and general manager of Intel's Optical Products Group. "Early adopters will reap the benefits of the co-existence of SONET and Ethernet. As Ethernet migrates into metropolitan area networks, changing protocols will be as easy as flipping a switch." New Multi-Rate Optical Transceiver The Intel(R) TXN13303 operates at 9.95, 10.3, and 10.7 Gigabits per second by incorporating three customized jitter filters. By operating at all three rates, the product supports OC-192 SONET/SDH, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and forward error correction (FEC)-enabled optical systems. Because of the multi-rate capability, OEMs can reduce time-to-market and eliminate many costs associated with component selection, design and testing. Service providers also benefit by stocking a product that allows a single qualification for multiple applications. Intel(R) TXN13303 combines a laser source and receiver module with the Intel(R) LXT16784/85 Serializer/Deserializer in a 300-pin, MSA compliant package. The TXN13303 is currently sampling and will be in full production in the first quarter of 2002. Intel also disclosed development of a new product family that integrates an OC-192 SONET/SDH Framer and 10 Gigabit Ethernet Medium Access Controller (MAC) on a single device. The new Intel component family will offer variations to support OC-192c, Packet Over SONET, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and General Framing Procedure (GFP). The new MAC/Framer product is architected for simple integration with an Intel TXN13303 SerDes transceiver to produce a complete line card solution supporting multiple networking protocols. This solution is applicable in systems such as core switches and routers, multi-service provisioning platforms, and enterprise gateways. For more information visit www.intel.com