ZTE Corporation, the second largest supplier of data- and telecommunications systems in China, selected Infineon Technologies as a strategic partner to deliver Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) solutions to its carrier customers.
The Infineon Frea PoS Framer/RPR MAC integrated circuit (IC), the industry's first RPR-compliant solution, has been chosen by ZTE for use in its metropolitan area network (MAN) and wide area network (WAN) equipment.
RPR technology combines the low cost and simplicity of packet-based networking with the reliability and resiliency of telecom networks. RPR is a Layer Two MAC technology that integrates efficient bandwidth management support and packet services. With Infineon's RPR solution, ZTE can offer service providers the ability to create scalable networks that transport voice and data traffic efficiently while lowering both capital expenses and on-going operational expenses.
The single-chip Frea IC integrates functions previously requiring a minimum of four separate components. The Frea chip integrates the PoS (Packet-over-SONET) framer, RPR MAC (Media Access Control) and XAUI SerDes (serializer/deserializer) functions. Frea includes 1 megabyte of memory on-chip, a 16-bit 800 MHz SPI-4.2 system interface and a 4-bit 3.125 GHz mate (XAUI) interface that simplifies linking the two chips that are required for a full RPR implementation.