AUSTIN, Tex. — Legerity Inc. here today announced what the company claims is a revolutionary chip technology that enables simultaneous voice and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) services over traditional telephone lines.
Legerity — the communications chip spin-off of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. — said its new chip set technology could transform some one billion voice-only telephone lines worldwide into a full-fledged broadband network that supports both voice and data services.
The company was somewhat vague about its new IC technology, however. "What we're announcing is a new technology," said Homer Lloyd, director of marketing for Legerity. "We will announce products based on this technology within the next couple of months," said Lloyd in an interview with SBN.
According to Lloyd, however, the company's IC technology will bring new capabilities to two different types of equipment on the network: Class 5 switches and digital subscriber line access multiplexors (DSLAMs). The Class 5 switch resides in the central office and handles voice traffic. Meanwhile, the DSLAM supports ADSL-a high-speed digital modem technology that delivers data at speeds up to 8-megabits-per-second.
Legerity's chip set technology will enable a traditional Class 5 switch to support ADSL services via a simple upgrade, while also allowing the DSLAM to handle voice traffic, Lloyd said.
The chip technology will also enable a new class of equipment on the network, which will resemble a hybrid Class 5 switch/DSLAM or multi-service access switch. "I think you'll see a new class of equipment," he said. "The lines between the switch and DSLAM are blurring."
Equally important, the company's chip will also reduce costs by eliminating the need for "splitters" on the network, thereby accelerating the deployment of ADSL services to the masses, he said.
According to the company, its forthcoming integrated data/voice chip set solution will combine "16 voice subscriber lines with 16 ADSL modems." This technology will enable OEMs to develop multi-port ADSL linecards, ranging from four to 16 lines, for either data-only or integrated data/voice applications.
The chip set will enable OEMs deliver full-rate ADSL and carrier-class voice services simultaneously over the same twisted pair. Using Legerity's proprietary high-voltage, wide-bandwidth process, the new technology will significantly reduce the system-level cost and complexity of ADSL equipment.
Current full-rate ADSL systems use separate voice and data line interfaces, coupled through separate splitters. Legerity's technology will eliminate these costly and space-consuming splitters, thereby resulting in smaller and lower-cost ADSL linecard designs. These linecards can be retrofitted into existing central office switches and Digital Loop Carrier (DLCs) equipment, according to the company.
No other details about the IC technology was provided by the company, however.
