Some of RadiSys’ (News - Alert) customers are saying ‘bring it on’ to 40G and next-generation networking, and have already started to upgrade their technology.

 

Others aren’t quite ready to embrace 2011 networking in 2009, but still want to ensure that they’re covered when high-bandwidth applications like mobile video roll out to the masses.

 

That’s the best part about the new ATCA 4.0 system from Hillsboro, Ore.-based RadiSys. The complete 4.0 package comprises all the components needed to support next-generation applications -- so whether you’re a Tier 1 operator who needs a total upgrade ASAP or a telecom equipment manufacturer who simply needs a more powerful chassis and cooling system for your next-gen CPU processors, you’re covered.

 

“It’s the industry’s first integrated 40-gig platform,” Eric Gregory, the senior ATCA product manager at RadiSys, told TMCnet. “We can start customers today, and transition them in any phase they want to go. Some telecom equipment manufacturers might primarily use CPU processing and a control plane application that uses 1 gig, but they do a heck of a lot of processing so they only want the higher cooling of the next-gen chassis. Or, maybe they’re a wireless operator, who just wants to test functionality but not capacity, and they will gradually roll out 40 gig.”

 

RadiSys’ latest offering hit the market just as major carriers are preparing for a massive rollout of high-bandwidth apps like mobile video. In developing its ATCA 4.0 platform, RadiSys looked at the annual reports from Vodafone and AT&T (News - Alert). Those Tier 1 carriers experienced 50 percent annual growth in data revenues for their latest year-end.

 

If you look at a voice packet and then compare it to a video packet, “there’s quite a significant difference in packet size,” Gregory said. That’s why it’s essential now, even for those who don’t want to roll out technology for a few years, to lay the groundwork for 40G.

 

The full ATCA 4.0 platform incorporates a 10GBASE-KR and 40GBASE-KR4 capable backplane and 40G switching capability.

 

Gregory told TMCnet that LTE’s (News - Alert) 100 percent data architecture is different from 3G infrastructure, which uses separate networks for voice and data. The next generation, or 4G, relies on a single network to transport both voice and video.

 

Another benefit of ATCA 4.0 is that it is a backwards-compatible solution, thus protecting the customer’s current investment in 3G networks, while ensuring a smooth and economical transition to ATCA 4G environments.

 

“The data bandwidth is growing at such a rapid pace, that every customer is asking for the future-proofing solution,” said Chandresh Ruparel, senior product line manager at RadiSys. “As video explodes and the LTE roll-out happens, capacity is critical.”