Vitesse Launches Ethernet Switches For Wireless Apps

Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation announced its Caracal family of Ethernet switches (VSC7428, VSC7429) for Carrier Ethernet, mobile backhaul and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTx) Passive Optical Networks (PON) applications.

“Two of the fastest growing segments in carrier networks are mobile/wireless backhaul and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) access networks. Mobile operators have a capacity crisis on their hands due to mobile broadband data cards and the first generation of smartphones, especially the iPhone. Mobile backhaul equipment must not only evolve from TDM connections to Ethernet, but also add service aware QoS, packet timing and synchronisation functions,” stated Michael Howard, Principal Analyst, Infonetics Research. “At the same time, they must lower power consumption, while increasing equipment density and bandwidth. Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)/PON networks face similar constraints. This is where Vitesse’s Caracal family of Carrier Ethernet switches is targeted.”

Vitesse’s Caracal switches provide a rich set of Carrier Ethernet features like :

• Unique MEF Services-Oriented Hardware and Software Architecture
• The Caracal family implements both Synchronous Ethernet and the one step and two step modes of IEEE 1588v2 in hardware for superior timing precision.
• Integrated support for Ethernet Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM), including full hardware-based Continuity Check Messages.
• Caracal devices are fully featured Carrier Ethernet switches with integrated Cu PHYs and MIPS processor.
• Unprecedented Low Power, Energy Efficiency