Vitesse and Infineon Announce Complete OC-192 Fiber Optic Link Solution for Very Short Reach Applications

Camarillo, Calif. Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ:VTSS) and Infineon Technologies Fiber Optic Division today jointly announced the introduction of a complete OC-192 fiber optic link for Very Short Reach (VSR) applications. The solution utilizes Vitesse Semiconductor s VSC7166 16x12 OC-192 converter integrated circuit together with Infineon Technologies PAROLI parallel optic modules. The link meets the specifications for a VSR data transmission scheme proposed by Cisco Systems in the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF). The proposal is gaining acceptance in the networking systems community with adoption by such networking industry leaders as CIENA Corporation and Juniper Networks, Inc.

The Vitesse/Infineon VSR solution provides a low cost alternative to expensive serial technology for OC-192 interconnects between co-located networking equipment within a Central Office (CO) or Point-of-Presence (POP). The VSR solution utilizes low-cost Infineon VCSEL-based parallel optics technology combined with a Vitesse transceiver IC which maps OC-192 SONET frames onto parallel optical links. This innovative approach combines the benefits of SONET framing with an optical layer based on Gigabit Ethernet standards, to provide a very low-cost OC-192 link over distances of up to 300m. The Infineon/Vitesse system is designed to meet the immediate needs of VSR applications, where robust data transmission at 10Gb/s is required over distances up to 300 meters at low cost. It is estimated that 80% of 10Gb/s data communication links are 100 meters or less. These include router-to-router, router-to-DWDM and optical cross-connect links. "Vitesse is pleased to help lead this effort that will allow data network designers to continue meeting the rapidly growing demands for high-speed, short-reach data links," stated Bud Noren, product marketing manager for Vitesse s backplane products.

"The combination of the existing Infineon PAROLI modules with the Converter-ASI C designed by Vitesse on one reference design board, will provide a quick, cost-effective time to market OC-192 VSR solution, with interoperability between the PMD and the PHY being no longer an issue for our customers," stated Ayad Abul-Ella, program manager for fiber optic IC s at Infineon.

We are pleased to see significant momentum behind a common VSR specification," said Dan Klausmeier, chief technology officer for CIENA s Core Switching Division. "Continued emphasis on standard, open interfaces will help CIENA drive down the costs of optical networking and will enable carriers to construct true best-of-breed networks." "The VSR standard and its immediate adoption by Vitesse and Infineon is a significant step forward in providing cost effective, inter-operable OC-192 interconnects to service providers," said Peter Wexler, vice president engineering, Juniper Networks. "As part of our commitment to building next-generation data networking products that are based on open standards, Cisco is working with leading component vendors who support open interfaces, such as VSR, to quickly bring to market technology that will enable service providers to deploy very low-cost and competitive, differentiated services," said Kelly Ahuja, director of marketing for the Optical Internetworking Business Unit at Cisco Systems.

Samples of the Infineon PAROLI AC modules are available today. The Vitesse VSC7166 transceivers will be available in August. In addition, evaluation boards containing the integrated Converter/PAROLI system will be available mid August from both companies.

About Infineon Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor solutions for applications in the wireless and wired communications markets, for the automotive and industrial sectors, for security systems and chip cards as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, and in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore. In the fiscal year 1999 (ending September), the company achieved sales of EUR 4.24 billion (US $4.51 billion) with 25,800 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the web at www.infineon.com.

About Vitesse Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation is the leading designer and supplier of innovative, high performance semiconductors utilizing state-of-the-art processes -- for the communications equipment manufacturers of next generation DWDM and optical networking, as well as storage area networking ICs and enclosure management products that monitor and communicate critical reliability and availability information. The Company s products address the needs of Core, Access, Optical and Enterprise network equipment manufacturers who demand a combination of high speed, high complexity and low power dissipation. Vitesse is headquartered in Camarillo, California, and manufacture s volume ICs at its two fabrication facilities in Camarillo and Colorado Springs. Company/product information can be found on the web at www.vitesse.com