IP telephony receives Intel boost

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 21 Feb 2003 at 12:34

Network chips promote home networks and VoIP apps.

Intel has unveiled three new network processors that offer WAN and LAN interfaces as well as VoIP (Voice over IP) and security technologies.

Intel has also updated its Integrated Performance Primitives (Intel IPP) to version 3.0 to add new support for speech and video applications as well as for the XScale architecture used in the new network chips. The XScale core offers scalable performance in order to minimise power requirements.

IP telephony is already fast catching on in Japan, where the market for cable and fixed line telephony is set to shrink by nearly one third by 2007.

Intel's IXP4XX range consists of the IXP422 (optimised for wired and wireless networked homes and small businesses with cryptography support), the IXP421 (optimised for voice and data), and the IXP420 (optimised for broadband access gateways).

'Intel continues to focus on providing network processor solutions that are increasingly cost effective and power efficient for our customer's applications and that extend from home and small office equipment to service providers' core switching equipment,' said Nick Finamore, general manager, Intel Network Processor Division.

The new chips are scheduled for general availability in the summer.