Ikanos chips away at bulky residential gateways

Ikanos, pursuing service provider demand to consolidate ADSL and VDSL functionality into single devices, has introduced a single-chip integrated front end (IFE) product to provide “true multimode support” of ADSL, ADSL2, ADSL2+, VDSL and VDSL2 while delivering VDSL2+ performance and conforming to DSL forum ADSL and ADSL2 performance specifications.

The sixth generation IFE incorporates the xDSL line driver into the unit to reduce external components and cut power consumption, said Peter Ahimovic, senior director of strategic marketing at Ikanos.

Consolidating all these functions within a single piece of consumer premises equipment is not overkill, he said, because “operators want to be able to ship just one CPE.”

The single-chip unit residential product reduces inventory management and “as access infrastructure changes (operators) can move from ADSL to VDSL quite easily,” he said. The unit also has the ability to interface with fiber-to-the- home applications by providing “one gateway with one wired interface for DSL and another separate gigabit Ethernet interface to attach to an ONT.”

All the bells and whistles needn’t be activated at once, Ahimovic noted.

“Some operators might just ship out units with features that aren’t enabled. Maybe somebody doesn’t sign up for voice service but they keep the voice ports in there and remotely they can turn them on.”

The concept of a multi-mode CPE isn’t new; the amount of consolidation within the single unit is, Ahimovic said.

“There are multi-mode CPE solutions in the market but the problem is they’re two solutions put next to each other. Today’s multi-mode is an ADSL gateway solution with a VDSL2 solution next to it and typically feeding into that ADSL gateway processor,” he said. “It’s much larger than it needs to be; there are a lot more bill of materials around it because you’re doubling a lot of different things; and the number of chips involved could be as high as five or six.”
Source: telecommagazine.com