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Technology Stocks : Broadcom (BRCM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Patriarch who wrote (527)	12/31/1998 4:53:00 PM
From: MileHigh	Respond to of 6531

Thar she blows!! Well, she blew for a minute <gg> Wow, what a stock, on little volume!? MileHigh

To: Patriarch who wrote (527)	1/5/1999 10:18:00 PM
From: Patriarch	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 6531

Broadcom Doubles Port Density of 10/100 EthernetSwitches With New 8-Port Transceiver January 5, 1999 08:12 AM IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 1999-- The Broadcom Octal(PHY)(tm) Offers Significant Reductions in Power- and Cost-Per-Port and Features the New Lower Complexity RMII and SMII Interfaces Broadcom Corp. BRCM , a leading developer of integrated circuits enabling high-speed broadband communications to the home and business, today announced the Broadcom(R) BCM5218 Octal-(PHY)(tm) Transceiver, an 8-Port transceiver for the 10/100 Ethernet switch market. Representing the Company's second-generation 10/100BASE-T transceiver technology, and its third successful implementation of integrating eight 10/100BASE-T transceivers into a single chip, Broadcom's new device is a highly integrated solution that increases the port density of Fast Ethernet switches, while lowering cost and power consumption. The BCM5218 utilizes Broadcom's patent-pending Digi-(PHY)(tm) core architecture, ensuring robust performance, interoperability, and standards compliance over a broad range of potential operating conditions. The same Digi-(PHY)(tm) architecture has been shipping in volume production for over a year in Broadcom's Quad-(PHY)(tm) family of products and has been successfully deployed in over 17 million Ethernet switch and hub ports. The BCM5218 integrates eight 10/100BASE-T physical layer (PHY) transceivers into a single 3.3 volt standard digital CMOS integrated circuit. Offering a 100% port density increase over competitive 10/100BASE-T PHY transceivers, the BCM5218 significantly reduces the number of devices required in switch designs, and enables vendors to double the number of ports-per-system. "The BCM5218 provides a natural migration path for customers looking to increase system port density and lower overall system cost," said Marty Colombatto, vice president and general manager of Broadcom's Networking Business Unit. "Our robust, Digi-(PHY)(tm) DSP core enables us to easily integrate more transceiver ports on a single chip. "Most importantly, our customers know that this DSP design has already been proven in high-volume production in Broadcom's single, quad, and hex 10/100 transceivers, as well as our 8-port integrated TX Switch (BCM5308)." "The combination of component count reduction coupled with Broadcom's proven Digi-(PHY) technology provides customers with the ability to significantly reduce the overall design complexity and system cost associated with building next-generation 10/100Mbps Ethernet switches," said Esmeralda Silva, LAN analyst at IDC. The BCM5218 is the industry's first octal transceiver to support both the Reduced Media Independent Interface (RMII) and Serial Media Independent Interface (SMII) interfaces in the same device providing designers a very flexible solution. As compared with the pin-intensive MII interface, these new RMII and SMII interfaces, which Broadcom helped to develop, simplify board layout and design. RMII reduces the interface between the Media Access Controller (MAC) ASIC and the transceiver from 16 to 7 pins per port, while the SMII further reduces the interface to just 2 pins per port. Pin count reduction lowers package costs for both MAC or switch ASICs and transceivers and saves board space, enabling higher port density designs without increasing board complexity. With eight full-duplex Fast Ethernet transceivers, the BCM5218 performs all physical layer interface functions for 10BASE-T Ethernet over Category 3, 4 or 5 unshielded twisted pair cable and 100BASE-TX over Category 5 cable. Through the use of external fiber-optic transceiver devices, 100BASE-FX is supported on any or all of the eight ports. The BCM5218 is packaged in a 256-pin Tape Ball Grid Array (TBGA) package. BGA packages are preferred over QFP packages for high-pin count devices because they are not susceptible to bent leads and damage from handling and have excellent coplanarity. Additionally, the package's self-centering action capability during solder reflow reduces the accuracy required of automatic pick-and-place machines. All this translates into higher manufacturing yields and lower production cost. Broadcom is shipping sample quantities of the BCM5218 today, with production during the first quarter of 1999. The BCM5218 Octal-(PHY) Transceiver is priced at $26 in 10,000-piece quantities. About Broadcom Broadcom is a leading developer of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable broadband digital data transmission to the home and within the business enterprise. Using proprietary technologies and advanced design methodologies, the Company has designed and developed integrated circuits for some of the most significant broadband communications markets, including the markets for cable set-top boxes, cable modems, high-speed networking products, direct broadcast satellite and terrestrial digital broadcast and digital subscriber line (xDSL). Broadcom is based in Irvine, and can be contacted at 949/450-8700 or at broadcom.com.