Ikanos launches 100-Meg symmetric chip

Ikanos Communications today said it has developed the first programmable chip set that can provide speeds up to 100 Mb/s in both upstream and downstream directions over a single copper line.

The Fx 100100 is designed as a fiber-extension product and is being marketed as an extension to the company’s existing chip line. The chip will likely find its way into optical network units and optical line terminals. The companion chip, the Fx 100100S-4, is designed for customer premises equipment and optical network terminals.

Ikanos, which has been shipping chipsets that allow for 100 Mb/s downstream and 50 Mb/s upstream to Asian markets for several months, is looking to the new chips as the basis of its VDSL2 entry, according to Ben Runyan, Director of Product Marketing for Ikanos.

The company is accomplishing the higher speed by using spectrum up to 30 MHz. In the 100/50 chips, Ikanos uses spectrum up to 17.6 MHz. The VDSL2 standard meanwhile is expected to use bands up to 30 MHz.

“That’s definitely where our eyes are focused,” Runyan said.

Like the company’s previous chips, the Fx solutions will allow carriers to triple play services but also move into application like video conferencing, enhanced gaming experiences and peer-to-peer file sharing that require significant upstream bandwidth. In fact, while some may believe such bandwidth borders on gluttony, Ikanos believes there will be a need for such speeds soon.

“As you remove the bottleneck people will find ways to use that bandwidth,” Runyan said.