Agere Systems Announces World's First Integrated Offering To Enable Convergence of Current, Future Wireless Network Deployments
May 02 2005 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Agere Systems Announces World's First Integrated Offering To Enable
Convergence of Current, Future Wireless Network Deployments - NEC
Selects Agere's Network Processors for Use in Wireless Access
Equipment ALLENTOWN, Pa., May 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Agere
Systems (NYSE:AGR.ANYSE:AGR.B) today unveiled its TrueAdvantage(TM)
Wireless Access Solutions. These solutions feature new technology
that allows current and future wireless systems, commonly referred
to as second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G), to be
simultaneously supported over a single network. The solutions also
potentially save wireless service providers worldwide up to $300
million per year in T1/E1, Synchronous Optical Network/Synchronous
Digital Hierarchy (SONET/SDH), and Ethernet leased line backhaul
costs. Agere also announced today that NEC has selected Agere's
TrueAdvantage solution, including Agere's Advanced PayloadPlus(R)
(APP) network processor chips, for use in its wireless access
equipment. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040618/AGERELOGO ) The
TrueAdvantage solutions consist of a broad family of feature-rich
networking chips such as APP network processors, LLP (Link Layer
Processor), TADM, Ultramapper(TM) and Hypermapper(TM) framing and
mapping devices. Additionally, the solutions offer turnkey software
packages, reference designs and hardware development systems that
allow telecom equipment manufacturers to quickly and efficiently
build lower-cost, higher-performance wireless access network
equipment. As wireless carriers add support for emerging data
applications, which require higher bandwidth than voice services,
the network transition from slower 2/2.5G data services to faster
3G data services is already taking place. Wireless carriers are
increasing the revenue-generating potential of their networks while
simultaneously striving to reduce their costs and make better use
of their backhaul transport bandwidth. Focused specifically on the
mobile wireless space, the TrueAdvantage Wireless Access Solutions
efficiently address these needs and help usher in a new era of
lower-cost, higher-performance and more reliable wireless
communications. Agere's platform supports a variety of protocols
required for 2/2.5G and 3G networks on a single, dynamically
programmable device. Agere enables the convergence of 2/2.5G and 3G
network applications into a single solution by integrating legacy
2/2.5G protocols, such as Transcoder Rate Adapter Unit (TRAU),
Frame Relay, and AAL1 Circuit Emulation, into a solution which also
provides 3G protocol support. By integrating required 2/2.5G
protocols such as TRAU, along with the flexible protocol processing
needed for more complex 3G ATM and IP networks, Agere is able to
offer, for the first time in the industry, all the functionality
needed to support 2G/3G converged equipment within a single device.
The benefits of this integration are analogous to merging what used
to be three distinct media players (a VCR, compact disk and digital
video disk player) into a single consumer product. By combining
these player formats into one, customers now enjoy either
technology without worrying about the media type or making space
for three times the number of consoles in their home entertainment
centers. Before the availability of the Agere solution, the cost of
simultaneously supporting 2/2.5G and 3G networks forced wireless
service providers to consume precious real estate with separate
equipment for each wireless network. Agere's novel approach allows
the wireless carriers to converge these networks onto a single
platform, reducing equipment cost and operational expenses,
improving scalability and ultimately providing the ability to lower
the cost of consumer services. Accelerating wireless network
convergence allows carriers to cut costs by reducing the number of
T1/E1, SONET/SDH and Ethernet backhaul links they must deploy.
Additional backhaul savings can be achieved by improving the
efficiency of T1/E1 backhaul links with the flexible protocol
processing of the TrueAdvantage Wireless Solutions. By handling a
mix of traffic types and providing support for header compression
and multiplexing protocols such as PPP mux (Point-to-Point
multiplexing) and cUDP (compress User Datagram Protocol), backhaul
efficiency is improved by as much as 35%. This offers wireless
carriers a potential global savings of $300 million per year, as
fewer T1/E1 leased lines will be required to cover a service area.
All these capabilities are delivered to wireless equipment
manufacturers in conjunction with the new production-ready
TrueAdvantage Wireless Access Functional Programming Interface
(FPI) software that runs on Agere's APP300 and APP500 network
processor product families. The FPI can be used as a black box,
which can easily integrate into targeted wireless applications such
as Node B, BTS, RNC and BSC wireless equipment. In addition,
equipment manufacturers can easily modify the source code to
incorporate proprietary features and create differentiated systems.
As with all solutions built on the TrueAdvantage platform and
Agere's network processors, the data plane software requires up to
30 times fewer lines of code for a given function than competing
processors. These development alternatives combined translate to
reduced product development costs and defects and improved
reliability and scalability. Using the FPI software, manufacturers
can avoid several time-consuming tasks such as learning
device-specific details, programming the data plane code, and
developing several hundred thousand lines of control plane code.
The FPI software solution is estimated to save more than 8 to 10
staff years of development. These savings are critical as seventy
to eighty percent of the lifetime cost of a programmable system is
in software development. Agere announced today that NEC, a leading
3G wireless equipment maker, selected the APP500 network processor
for use in its wireless access equipment. Equipment makers, such as
NEC, carefully consider the network processor selection as it
represents a critical element within wireless equipment. The
complete Agere wireless solution supports the broad diversity of
wireless protocols and interworking required. The solution
architecture offers a high level of hardware and software
flexibility, as well as scalability, which in turn offers Agere's
customers substantial development savings. "Converging and saving
costs of backhaul wireless links are major and related industry
trends," said Allen Nogee, analyst with In-Stat. "Agere's
TrueAdvantage Wireless Access Solution, with its unprecedented
integration of 2G and 3G systems onto a single network, economical
software for use with network processors, and scalability for use
in a wide range of wireless equipment and multiple protocols and
standards, amount to key catalysts for driving this market growth."
Agere's Wireless Access FPI is targeted for use in several types of
equipment, including Node Bs, BTSs, BSCs and RNCs. The FPI combined
with the complete TrueAdvantage Wireless offerings enables a common
platform design with: * Configurable and scalable hardware and
software platforms * Field software upgradeable feature sets * High
platform availability and reliability * Multistandard (e.g. WiMax,
GSM, UMTS, CDMA, GERAN) and multiservice (e.g. TDM, ATM, IP)
support * Capability to simultaneously handle a diverse traffic mix
and protocol interworking * Various backhaul types (e.g. T1/E1,
OC3/STM-1, 10/100/1000 Ethernet) * Various mechanisms to
substantially improve transport backhaul efficiency Agere's
TrueAdvantage Wireless Solutions are available for customers today.
For more information on Agere's TrueAdvantage Wireless Access
Solutions, please visit http://www.agere.com/trueadvantage.
Customers in the U.S. may call the Agere Systems Customer Response
Center at 1-800-372-2447. Customers in Canada may call
1-800-553-2448. Customers outside those countries may call
1-610-712-4323. Fax inquiries may be directed to 1-610-712-4106, or
e-mail queries to . Written inquiries should be sent to Agere
Systems, Room 10A-301C, 1110 American Parkway NE, Lehigh Valley
Central Campus, Allentown, PA 18109, USA. Agere Systems is a global
leader in semiconductors for storage, wireless data, and public and
enterprise networks. The company's chips and software power a broad
range of computing and communications applications, from cell
phones, PCs, PDAs, hard disk drives and gaming devices to the
world's most sophisticated wireless and wireline networks. Agere's
customers include top manufacturers of consumer electronics,
communications and computing equipment. Agere's products connect
people to information and entertainment at home, at work and on the
road-enabling the connected lifestyle. Agere and PayloadPlus are
registered trademarks and Agere Systems, the Agere Systems logo,
TrueAdvantage, Ultramapper and Hypermapper are trademarks of Agere
Systems Inc. This release contains forward-looking statements based
on information currently available to Agere. Agere's actual results
could differ materially from the results stated or implied by those
forward-looking statements due to a number of risk and
uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not
limited to, our reliance on major customers and suppliers, our
ability to keep pace with technological change, our dependence on
new product development, price and product competition,
availability of manufacturing capacity, customer demand for our
products and services, and general industry and market conditions.
For a further discussion of these and other risks and
uncertainties, see our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended September 30, 2004, and our quarterly report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2004. Agere disclaims any
intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040618/AGERELOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Agere Systems CONTACT:
Charlie Hartley of Agere Systems, 610-712-1728 (Office), or
908-507-6631 (Mobile), or Web site: http://www.agere.com/
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