previously (steve to TD):
>>Care to comment on BRCM's new chips?
>It's ethernet stuff ... Doesn't have much to do with PMCS at this point.
i think TD was being charitable, steve. i read where Mr. Perna, veep and GM of PMC's newly formed Optical Network Division (they're phasing out the Transmission Switching arm) said, and i quote: "We believe that Broadcom's announcement is a joke."
i think it's significant to note that BRCM's product "merely" addresses the transceiver problem for 10-Gbit Ethernet (i.e., no framing, processing, MAC). obviously, PMC doesn't see ATM or SONET going away, but even if 10-Gbit Ethernet should take some share of the WAN, all three (10-GE, ATM, SONET) will co-exist.
BRCM's chip also sells for roughly $90 a pop in volume. i'm mixing fruit salad here, but compare that to Tiny Tera One switch fabric chipset out of the AAnetcom acquisition which can go in the high-four figures. you get the picture.
sorry if this has already been hashed over. i was out of the country for a bit and am a wee bit behind on my heavy lifting.
-chris. |
