Analog Devices DSP Bolsters T1 Telephony with Palm-sized Modems
Letting no telecomm grass grow under its high-speed feet, Analog Devices (ADI; Norwood, MA) is now rolling out a DSP chip that enables no less than 24 modem ports--the equivalent of a 1.54 Mbit/second T1 telephone line--in less than nine square inches. The introduction of the firm's ADSP-21mod970-510 Internet Gateway Processor enhances ADI's substantial position in the high-density remote access IC market.
Since introducing the world's first single-chip remote access server modem in September of 1997 (the ADSP-21mod870), the company has succeeded in doubling modem density every nine months. No mean feat!
Flexible Internet Access
Internet access equipment based on ADI's Internet Gateway Processor achieves an unprecedented level of flexibility for designers of remote access computing products. These products serve integrated fax, voice and data networks including remote access servers (RAS) and remote access concentrators (RAC), modem test equipment, and emerging Voice-Over-IP (VOIP) systems.
ADI's system can be configured on-demand for ISDN, V.90, K56FIex, V.34, fax and VOIP, and supports the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) H.323 standard for voice and multimedia communications using TCP/IP (Internet Protocol). What's more, each port can run a different protocol at the same time, slashing operator costs.
"This addresses the need for one interface that can support the convergence of voice and data on a single network," notes happy ADI customer Brad Baldwin, Director of Remote Access at International Data Corp. "The ADSP-21mod series is a new approach for routing data/voice traffic from a single network access point, which makes sense from a power, cost, real estate and network security standpoint. It's also scalable and programmable, so that system integrity is preserved as upgrades are facilitated."
Not insignificantly, ADI's existing family of remote access network approaches for data and voice traffic has included tools, software code and support. Companies such as Ascend Communications, Ericsson, Brooktrout, Mapletree Networks and Digi International have successfully used these ADI DSP wares.
Future-Proofing Technology
The latest ADSP-21mod970-510 is a single chip that integrates DSPs, on-chip memory and programmable software to implement 12 data/voice ports, in the space of 1.45 square inches (that's a space conserving 0.12 square inch per port). Two chips together, with a system controller, form a T1-capacity modem bank. Because the approach integrates a programmable 16-bit ADI DSP, software is used to upgrade functionality and extend the life of the hardware. This so-called "future-proofing" technology can be critical if you're a network access OEM that must continuously bring new capabilities to the market, including VOIP, upstream pulse code modulation (PCM), or some form of digital subscriber line (xDSL) capability.
Price and Availability
The ADSP-21mod970-510 Internet Gateway Processor is packaged in a 304 ball Plastic Ball Grid Array (PBGA) measuring 1.5 square in. The 12-port per chip approach is priced at about $180 per unit in quantities of 10,000. This includes required hardware and software, but prices may vary depending on software configurations. Software and volume orders are available now through Analog Devices. Contact ADI at Three Technology Way, Norwood, MA 02062-9106, or by dialing 800-262-5643.