Press release
--New Platform Delivers Superior VoIP and Proven Multimedia Performance Bringing an Innovative User Experience to the Enterprise and Residence
IRVINE, Calif., March 16, 2009 -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new scalable Internet protocol (IP) communications design platform featuring advanced 65 nanometer IP communications processors that enable a full range of high performance, low power, low cost products for next generation IP phones and multimedia terminals. The new Broadcom® PersonaTM design platform, based on its flagship BCM11107 VoIP processor, enables enterprise and consumer IP phones to offer multimedia capabilities, premium audio, robust Ethernet switching, enhanced security and extensive peripheral support.
As enterprise telephony transitions from digital infrastructure to IP-based communications, phone manufacturers are challenged to deliver distinct feature sets for a range of IP device categories from low-end, value phones to high-end multimedia terminals with user interfaces and advanced applications similar to today's popular smartphones. At the same time, economic and environmental concerns are forcing manufacturers to generate lower cost IP phone designs that serve the growing demand for greener solutions. The Persona platform addresses these trends, enabling customers to design a full line of IP phones and multimedia appliances with the cutting-edge features, robust security, low power consumption and proven Gigabit Ethernet capabilities that enterprise markets require.
"Next generation IP phones are positioned to become the central communications portal of both the office and home, enabling users with advanced applications to take advantage of multimedia features, streaming video and touch screen interfaces," said Martyn Humphries, Vice President & General Manager for Broadcom's VoIP line of business. "Multimedia functionality should ultimately increase user efficiency, and productivity thereby accelerating high quality, advanced IP communications devices in the enterprise and a high quality experience in the home."
Persona Technology Overview
Based on third generation IP communications technology, the Persona platform offers feature-enhanced IP phone system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for each product segment. This includes the Broadcom BCM11107 for higher end Gigabit multimedia telephony applications, the BCM11109 for mainstream Gigabit enterprise applications, and the BCM11170 for value-line and low-end enterprise, small-to-medium-sized business (SMB) and small office/home office (SoHo) applications. Utilizing pin-compatible Persona devices, manufacturers can leverage a common hardware design and printed circuit boards (PCBs) across multiple products, thereby reducing overall component and manufacturing costs while streamlining software and hardware resources.
Each single-chip Persona device features a Gigabit or Fast Ethernet switch with packet filtering capabilities and physical layer devices (PHYs) to support high-speed networks, super-wideband capable analog audio codecs, and high performance applications and digital signal processors which support Broadcom's popular PhonexChangeTM IP telephony software suite. PhonexChange is a flexible software platform used across all Broadcom® IP phone solutions, allowing IP phone customers to leverage a common software code base across product portfolios, which in turn, minimizes engineering development resources, and time-to-market. The software suite includes a standards based Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling stack, Broadcom's high fidelity SmartAudio® voice enhancement technology, multimedia and video telephony modules, provisioning and security software, along with other key components required to build Ethernet IP phone products. PhonexChange also includes built-in support for Broadcom's industry-leading Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi® connectivity products, allowing OEMs to add best-in-class wireless technologies to expand functionality for next generation products.
SmartAudio is Broadcom's innovative audio clarity technology that significantly improves audio quality over IP networks. It includes the company's high quality acoustic echo cancellation, advanced Jitter Buffer, high definition voice speech technologies and packet loss concealment (PLC) which compensates for lost data packets ensuring the delivery of clear digital voice communications.
The Persona platform requires 30 percent less power than competitive solutions, meeting the growing demand for "green phone" products, and enabling OEMs to build Class II Gigabit Multimedia Ethernet phones and Class I Fast Ethernet IP phones. The devices further leverage advanced power down modes to appropriately manage power consumption during system standby, idle or low usage periods enabling end products which comply with green initiative standards. The platform also utilizes packaging materials free of lead and certain other toxins, enabling greener SoC products for the scalable VoIP market.
Enabling Diverse IP Communications Applications
Broadcom technology already enables unique user interfaces on popular smartphone handsets and MP3 players, and now delivers these popular features to IP communications products. The Persona processor enables these compelling user experiences while providing an electrical bill-of-materials (BOM) cost savings of almost 26 percent for mainstream Enterprise high volume IP phones. The combination of the BCM11107 processor and PhonexChange firmware also delivers security enhanced packet processing, security enhanced voice processing and switching technologies that provide the quality of service (QoS) and reliability necessary for enterprise telephony applications.
The BCM11107 processor features multimedia capabilities that integrates an LCD controller, video decode capabilities, and support for sharp 2D graphics. In conjunction with the BCM11181 multimedia co-processor, the BCM11107 enables video conferencing and stellar 3D graphics. The BCM11181 co-processor is based on Broadcom's successful BCM2727 mobile multimedia processor and VideoCore® multimedia architecture that has shipped in over 25 million mobile products to date.
Availability and Pricing
The BCM11107, BCM11109, BCM11170 and BCM11181 Persona platform processors, PhonexChange firmware, reference designs and development kits are now sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request.
