ATCA Initiates Launch Sequence

Next year will see the first major rollout of systems using the Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA) standards, according to "ATCA, AMCs, and MicroTCA, 2006 Market Outlook," the latest report from Light Reading's Comm Chip Insider.

Of more than 100 systems vendors interviewed, 60 percent are building ATCA platforms, with most of those due to ship within the next year. ATCA is particularly popular with newer architectures, as would be expected: VOIP gateways and media servers are leading the way, the survey found.

ATCA is a standard curated by PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) as a blueprint for telecom equipment. The idea is to create standards for the less innovative aspects of the system, speeding up development and possibly letting OEMs buy the shell of a system from an integrator. In fact, many OEMs are already taking this tactic, the report finds.

Separately, the report found many OEMs planning "significant use" of Advanced Mezzanine Cards, a standard developed for an extra layer of modularity in ATCA. About one-third expect to use MicroTCA, a more compact version of ATCA.

ATCA has been gaining support all year, with companies including Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; Paris: CGEP:PA), NEC Corp. (Tokyo: 6701), Nortel Networks Ltd. , and Siemens AG (NYSE: SI; Frankfurt: SIE) pledging to use the platform. (See ATCA Finds Its Way and Alcatel Unveils ATCA Gear.)

— Craig Matsumoto, Senior Editor, Light Reading

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