Broadcom to Acquire NewPort Communications
Source: Compound Semiconductor staff
Two companies specializing in CMOS-based high speed broadband communications ICs are to join forces. Broadcom Corporation is to acquire privately-held NewPort Communications, Inc. - both companies are based in Irvine, California.
According to a Broadcom press release, this merger will provide the company with the broadest offering of CMOS optical communications technologies for next generation SONET/SDH and 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks.
NewPort introduced the world s first single-chip 2.5 Gb/s OC-48 transceiver in July 1999 and the world s first 10 Gb/s CMOS OC-192 transceiver solution in May 2000. According to NewPort, these devices offer substantially higher levels of integration and lower power than competitive GaAs, silicon bipolar or SiGe solutions. Cisco, Lucent, and Sumitomo are strategic investors in NewPort Communcations and are presently among its largest customers. Other top-tier customers include Alcatel, Ciena, and JDS Uniphase.
Broadcom announced the world s first single-chip 10-Gigabit Ethernet Coarse-WDM CMOS transceiver in May 2000, and is currently developing Serializer/Deserializer (SERDES) technology to speed up the backplanes of next-generation LAN and WAN systems. The Gartner Group forecasts the total available market for WAN optical networking chips to grow to over $1.3 billion in 2001.
"Today s announcement reinforces Broadcom s strategic initiative to provide end-to-end solutions across the LAN and WAN," said Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III, President and CEO of Broadcom.
"The combined capabilities and resources of NewPort and Broadcom will bring the most complete system solutions to the optical communications marketplace," said Dr. Armond Hairapetian, President and CEO of NewPort Communications.
For more information, see www.newportcom.com or www.broadcom.com.
© 2000 Franklin Publishing. All rights reserved.
Web site: http://www.newportcom.com
