Vitesse Intros Ethernet SOC

CAMARILLO, Calif. -- Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:VTSS - News), the market leader in Gigabit Ethernet ICs, today announced the E-StaX-34(TM) switch-on-a chip (SoC) product, the industry's first low cost stackable Layer 2 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) Smart Switch designed to bring affordable Gigabit Ethernet to entry level applications. The E-StaX-34 reduces the total bill of materials for a Gigabit Ethernet stackable system, eliminating the need for Fast Ethernet stackable solutions. Vitesse has achieved this with market leading innovations including a new patent-pending VStaX(TM)cabling technology, a scalable high-speed 24+4 port configuration, a performance driven architecture, and a rich integrated feature set to deliver low cost GbE for OEM and ODM customers.

"With the E-StaX-34 our OEM and ODM customers can now replace existing Fast Ethernet stackables with an affordable Gigabit Ethernet stackable. The E-StaX-34 achieves this new cost point because of its smaller footprint while taking advantage of our integrated SoC functionality to simplify printed circuit board layout, improve security, and streamline stack management and performance," said Martyn Humphries, vice president and general manager of the Ethernet Products Division at Vitesse. "Gigabit Ethernet has been largely cost prohibitive for entry level applications. Vitesse is employing enabling technologies to bring price down to a point to enable the transition from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet."

Upgrading from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet affords ten times the speed, ten times the bandwidth to enable new applications and support file sharing performance, reduced latency and granular Quality of Service (QoS) among other benefits. However, OEMs and ODMs have been unable to widely adopt the technology for entry-level solutions due to cost constraints. With a low cost GbE solution in a stackable Smart Switch to combine network intelligence with performance and scalability, these solution providers can now address a critical need for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) customers.

"Vitesse already offers market leading integration for smart GbE switches ranging from 5 to 24 ports," said Bob Wheeler, senior analyst at The Linley Group. "The addition of stacking capabilities to its switch line is the next logical step for Vitesse and better positions the company for SME applications."

Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq: VTSS)