PMC-Sierra announced the release of the PM4351 COMET, a single channel 3.3 Volt T1, E1, and J1 framer with integrated analog Line Interface Unit (LIU). The COMET (COMbined E1, T1 and J1) feature set is optimized to support Wireless Base Transceiver Stations, telecom Digital Loop Carrier and Frame Relay/Internet Access applications. A single design using the highly integrated COMET device can eliminate up to five separate board designs.

The COMET provides the industry's first software selectable solution for all three global primary rate framing formats and for both Shorthaul and Longhaul analog interface standards. The COMET framer supports T1 SF, ESF, SLC96 and T1DM formats; E1 framing per G.704 and G.706; and J1 framing per TTC JT-704. The integral LIU complies with both Shorthaul and Longhaul specifications - supporting up to 36 dB of cable attenuation for T1 and up to 43 dB of attenuation for E1 signals. The COMET represents the fourth generation of PMC-Sierra's extensive family of high-density framer and LIU solutions.

A comprehensive COMET applications solution package will also be available on PMC-Sierra's web site to minimize design-in time and development resources. The package includes a fully operational COMET evaluation platform with PC based graphical user interface; a T1, E1, and J1 hardware reference design for both Shorthaul and Longhaul applications; device driver software source code; datasheets and a technical overview.

"To leverage the performance of the most advanced processors, Wireless Base Transceiver Station (BTS) designs are among the most aggressive applications moving to 3.3 Volt technology," said Glenn Bindley, PMC-Sierra's director of marketing. "We designed the COMET to support a single software selectable 3.3V design for GSM, TDMA, and CDMA wireless systems using T1, E1 or J1 for connecting BTS nodes to the network. The COMET device is software compatible and interoperable with PMC-Sierra's broad line of high density framers and packet processors including TOCTL, EQUAD, FREEDM," Bindley concluded.

COMET is the industry's first device to fully support the V5.1 interface for E1 as specified by the ITU-T G.964 standard. This standard allows network operators to deploy products from multiple vendors in their access networks while ensuring interoperability. V5.1 standard compliance is now required for most of the world's telecom infrastructure including Central Office Switches, Digital Loop Carriers, Wireless Local Loop systems and PBX systems. The COMET integrates the three HDLC controllers, each with 128-byte transmit and receive buffers, as required by the V.51 standard.

Strong demand by the datacom world for Frame Relay and Internet access services is driving the need for feature-rich, low-cost customer premise solutions. The COMET is the first device to integrate extensive onboard pseudo random binary sequence (PRBS) capabilities, enabling in-service monitoring of the T1 line quality. This capability allows users to proactively schedule line maintenance before failures occur. The COMET also autonomously generates the periodic performance reports and, with the industry's most integrated HDLC controller, supports the four Kbit/s datalink specified within the T1 framing standards.

There are two stories here. The first is the voltage of operation -- which is a bit of a contrary change for the telecommunications sector -- where base stations are indeed moving from double-digit operating voltages down to 3 V. This change makes a lot of sense in a situation where for this part of the non-Central Office parts of the operation there is no need for bulky cabinets and major standby power requirements. The second story is in the software switching between the different formats; one of those little things that will save designers weeks of work and a dramatic simplification of multi-format system nodes.

The inclusion of V5.1 interface compatibility is something that will become a necessity for virtually all E1 components and its presence here is not a surprise. Nice product, good timing, probably at about the right price. Samples will be available in the coming quarter of 1998 and it is priced at $15 in 10 k lots. It is in a 80-pin PQFP of 14 x 14 mm.