Virata Announces Single Chip G. Lite Modem - Beryllium
New Chip Enables Fast Internet Access From Anywhere!
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Virata, the leading provider of integrated software on silicon (ISOS) solutions for fast Internet access, today announced the world's first G. Lite modem-on-a-chip, Beryllium. Modems which incorporate Virata's new chip will allow users to access the Internet in the fastest mode available to them-standard Ethernet at the office, G. Lite from home, or 56Kbps on the road. Beryllium is the first true single chip solution, incorporating the physical layer, networking protocols and all the necessary software to develop a high-speed modem or network interface card into one product.
Beryllium is designed to serve the needs of home, small office/home office (SOHO), remote office/branch office (ROBO) and enterprise users. This modem-on-a-chip also provides fax capabilities-including the ability to fax and use the Internet concurrently with a G. Lite connection. G. Lite, a variant of full-rate Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), enables high-speed Internet connections at 1.5 Mbps-more than 25 times the speed of today's analog modems. G.Lite works over regular telephone lines, allowing for simultaneous voice and data transfer.
Beryllium is the first of a family of products from Virata that will provide international standards-based G. Lite and V. 90 capabilities. This new single chip semiconductor and integrated software enables modems to operate in G. Lite, V. 90 also known as 56K, Ethernet, and fax modes utilizing asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) or Internet Protocol (IP). It includes essential standard computer interfaces including PCI, USB and 10BaseT -- to match the different types of modem connections and home networking solutions required. Future iterations of the Beryllium family will be developed specifically for combo card/PCMCIA applications for the mobile market.
''G. Lite is a lucrative, standards-based service for telcos, providing fast Internet access for consumers. With download speeds of 1.5 Mbps downstream and 512 Kbps upstream, Web pages will snap onto your computer screen. G. Lite also allows consumers to talk on the phone and surf the Web at the same time without adding a second phone line,'' said Greg Sheppard, vice president with Dataquest, an industry analyst firm. ''Combo solutions such as Beryllium take advantage of the emerging G. Lite technology, while still supporting current analog technology and speeds. This upgradability allows consumers to protect their investment in modem technology and receive the fastest possible data connection available.''
For modem manufacturers, Beryllium means faster time to market and a wider range of customers their products will address. Beryllium includes both the physical layer and the protocol or network layer hardware, along with the software needed to perform all essential networking tasks. This high level of integration, pre-testing and interoperability enables modem manufacturers to develop product faster, with less development risk and predictable development cost. The packaged Virata software includes ATM, IP and a sophisticated package of the firmware necessary to manage the physical line (encoding, compression, management, and signaling). Virata also supplies the software necessary to guarantee the reliable delivery of these ATM and IP frames including TCP/IP, ATM, segmentation and re-assembly SAR, tunneling, bridging and routing. This software and firmware combination will enable modems based on Beryllium to operate with the installed base of computers as well as the most up to date computer and other network access designs. Beryllium is expected to be the lowest cost and most complete solution for manufacturers wishing to develop ''combo card'' devices.
''Until now, no company offered both the physical layer and protocol modem components on one chip,'' said Charles Cotton, CEO of Virata. ''This revolutionary chip means manufacturers can now offer the benefits of high speed, fully featured modems suitable for users with either their existing or new computers. Beryllium's integration of semiconductor and software also means manufacturers can invest their talented engineering resources on adding value to their complete modem product, rather than integrating different chips and software into a workable solution.''
Beryllium is the first semiconductor product resulting from the merger of RSA Communications and Virata, announced in July. RSA Communications specializes in development of industry standard firmware for analog modems. RSA's line encoding, compression and device management functionality, also referred to as the physical layer or phy, along with Virata's strong experience in firmware and network protocols for broadband enables the development of this chip.
Beryllium, a member of Virata's Atom family of chips including Hydrogen and Helium, will be aggressively priced for the OEM market. Virata will offer Beryllium at under $35 each in OEM quantities including the software right to use licenses. The chip will be delivered with industrial range packaging and in two formats T(hin)QFP and BGA. Beryllium will sample in the summer of 1999.
About Virata
Virata provides complete, system-on-a-chip solutions, which combine semiconductors and software, to companies developing ATM- and IP-based products for delivery of fast Internet access. Licensees of Virata currently include companies serving the xDSL, fiber to the curb (FTTC), wireless local loop and cable TV (CATV) markets. Virata is a principal member of the ATM and ADSL Forums, and a member of the ITU and the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG).
RSA Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Virata, specializes in development of industry standard firmware for analog modems. The company licenses software and provides system level design expertise to companies requiring modem solutions including 56K (V.90) and G. Lite (ADSL ''lite'').
Founded in 1993, Virata's operations are located in Santa Clara, California; Cambridge, England; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, visit Virata at: virata.com.
|
