BusinessWire
May 07, 2007 05:48 AM Pacific Daylight Time

TranSwitch and TPACK Cooperate on End-to-End Ethernet over NG-PDH Solution

Telecom equipment vendors can support Ethernet services over existing PDH and SONET/SDH connections with reliability and bandwidth efficiency

SHELTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TranSwitch® Corporation (NASDAQ: TXCC) and TPACK A/S today announced a cooperation on end-to-end Ethernet over Next Generation PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) solutions for wire line and wireless networks. The solution combines TranSwitch’s EtherMap®-PDH, a protocol converter that transports Ethernet services over existing PDH signal formats, with TPACK’s TPW48-P Ethernet over NG-PDH/SONET/SDH aggregation solution. The combination allows telecom equipment vendors to support Ethernet services over existing PDH and SONET/SDH connections with a high degree of reliability and bandwidth efficiency.

Ethernet over NG-PDH is based on the same GFP (Generic Framing Procedure), VCAT (Virtual Concatenation) and LCAS (Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme) technology used in Ethernet over NG-SONET/SDH. It is standardized by the ITU-T in recommendations G.8040, G.7043 and G.7042 and is currently under development by a number of major equipment manufacturers. The key advantages of Ethernet over NG-PDH are a robust encapsulation method based on GFP leading to fewer dropped packets and the ability to add, remove and restore bandwidth capacity without affecting ongoing traffic provided by LCAS.

“Ethernet over SONET/SDH using GFP, VCAT and LCAS has proven to be a success and is widely used to support Ethernet services. Now, this same technology can be applied to PDH-based connections to allow new services to be deployed while re-using these valuable assets,” said Dr. Hoshang Mulla, vice president, Marketing for TranSwitch. “By cooperating with TPACK, we have a complete solution with both a CPE device and an efficient aggregation solution.”

“The key challenge for many service providers and equipment vendors is to smoothly migrate to a packet-based future, while making optimal use of existing resources,” said Peter Viereck, CEO, TPACK. “This combined Ethernet over NG-PDH solution allows Ethernet services to be offered where only PDH connections are available. This is particularly appropriate in mobile backhaul scenarios, which are predominantly based on either PDH copper or microwave connections and will be for some time to come. The cooperation with TranSwitch combines a world-class CPE chip with our flexible FPGA-based aggregation mapper ensuring a proven, yet adaptable end-to-end solution.”

TranSwitch and TPACK have also co-authored a new white paper outlining the benefits of Ethernet over NG-PDH as a mobile backhaul solution. The white paper is available on the TranSwitch and TPACK websites.

About TPACK

TPACK is a leading provider of linecard solutions for packet data transport and switching. This includes Ethernet/MPLS over NG-SONET/SDH and Carrier Ethernet, including PBT and T-MPLS. TPACK solutions are based on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices that allow rapid development and customization. This allows TPACK to meet customer specific needs without sacrificing time-to-market. TPACK's customer base includes Tier 1 equipment providers who account for more than 50% of the optical transport equipment market. TPACK is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information, please visit: http://www.tpack.com

About TranSwitch

TranSwitch Corporation designs, develops and markets innovative semiconductors that provide core functionality and complete solutions for voice, data and video communications network equipment. As a leading supplier to telecom, datacom, cable television and wireless markets, TranSwitch customers include the major OEMs that serve the worldwide public network, the Internet, and corporate Wide Area Networks (WANs). TranSwitch devices are inherently flexible, many incorporating embedded programmable microcontrollers to rapidly meet customers’ new requirements or evolving network standards by modifying a function via software instruction. TranSwitch implements global communications standards in its VLSI solutions and is committed to providing high-quality products and services. TranSwitch, Shelton, CT, is an ISO 9001:2000 registered company. For more information, visit www.transwitch.com.