Vitesse Introduces Grooming Switches That Enable Lowest Cost, Next-generation Access and Metro Equipment; Scalable, Low Power Design Ideal for Growing Broadband Services While Maintaining Compatibility with Existing Equipment.

CAMARILLO, Calif. -- Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:VTSS) today announced two new additions to its industry-leading SONET/SDH Time Slot Interchange (TSI) grooming switch family: the VSC9190, 50 Gbps TSI Switch, and the VSC9191, 100 Gbps TSI Switch. Both devices are targeted at dramatically reducing power and complexity of SONET grooming applications, while simultaneously simplifying and accelerating the system level design process. These devices reduce power requirements by more than 50% over comparable solutions, and, by incorporating automatic protection switching and rate aggregation into a single device, reduce board chip count by a factor of five, dramatically shrinking space requirements and lowering costs.

TSIs are a key building block in the $7 billion optical transport systems market. This market grew by 11% in 2004 and is forecasted to grow another 6% in 2005, as reported by the Dell'Oro Group. TSIs perform the necessary function of deskewing, switching, and regenerating SONET/SDH signals at the STS-1/STM-0 level. The VSC9190 and VSC9191 address these complex requirements within Access and Metro equipment such as SONET/SDH Multiservice Switches, Add Drop Multiplexers, Optical Switches, and DWDM Long Haul and Metro equipment.

These scalable TSIs support dual rate 2.5 Gbps or 622 Mbps Input/Output (I/O) speeds, enabling high-speed 2.5 G links or compatibility with existing 622 M equipment, and contributing to lower cost and power requirements. Their fully non-blocking memory-based switch core simplifies system architectures and shortens overall development time with fast, single-step programming that eliminates the need for complex programming algorithms.

The VSC9190 and VSC9191 utilize bit-slicing technology to enable fabric configurations up to 1.36 Tbps using the lowest possible chip count. This functionality routes traffic to and from scalable hubs based on Vitesse's flagship VSC9295 340 Gbps single-chip TSI. The devices also use 2.5 Gbps TFI-5 and 622 Mbps STS-12/STM-4 standards-based interfaces for connecting with existing line cards, backplanes, and ASIC infrastructure.

"SONET isn't dead," says Juan Garza, circuit switch product marketing manager for Vitesse. "The VSC9190 and VSC9191 are designed to enable OEMs to dispel the myth that SONET switching equipment is expensive and difficult to build. Over a decade of industry-leading expertise is built into every chip, allowing the system designer to focus their resources on other tasks to get their product to market faster without the compliance and interoperability issues of home brewed alternatives."

World Class Signal Integrity

The VSC9190 and VSC9191 feature Vitesse's industry-renowned signal equalization technology (EQ(TM)) for enhanced signal integrity in high-speed systems. Vitesse EQ improves signal performance and reduces jitter associated with driving multi-gigabit signals across backplanes and cables. By enhancing signal performance in systems, OEMs can improve data integrity and migrate to next-generation serial interconnect speeds utilizing existing PCB, backplane, connector equipment and system architectures. Vitesse's flexible EQ settings utilize global programmable Input Signal Equalization (ISE) and output pre-emphasis capabilities to improve signal clean up as well as line driver capabilities. More information on Vitesse Signal Integrity solutions can be found at www.vitesse.com/SI.

Pricing and Availability

In volume quantities, the VSC9190 is priced at $125 USD per unit and the VSC9191 is priced at $200 USD per unit. Both devices come in a 613-pin, FCBGA package. Samples and evaluation boards are available now.

About Vitesse

Vitesse designs, develops, and markets a diverse portfolio of high-performance, cost-competitive semiconductor solutions for communications and storage networks worldwide. Engineering excellence and dedicated customer service distinguish Vitesse as an industry leader in Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Ethernet-over-SONET, Advanced Switching, Fibre Channel, Serial Attached SCSI, Optical Transport, and other applications. Vitesse innovation empowers customers to deliver superior products for Enterprise, Access, Metro, and Core applications. Additional company and product information is available at www.vitesse.com.

Vitesse is a registered trademark and EQ is a trademark in the United States and/or other jurisdictions of Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective holders.

Note to editors: For additional information on the products and technology mentioned in this release please visit the Vitesse EQ Technology Center: www.vitesse.com/SI and TSI Technology Center: www.vitesse.com/circuitswitching.