Marvell announced the Alaska M 88E2180 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver, the world's first octal multi-Gigabit Ethernet transceiver compatible with both the IEEE 802.3bz standard and the NBASE-T Alliance specification for 2.5 and 5 Gbps operation over CAT5e cables. This highly sophisticated IC will enable enterprises to quickly and cost-effectively migrate to multi-Gigabit Ethernet networking infrastructure.
The Alaska devices, part of a broad range of Marvell's Ethernet transceiver families, can be coupled with Marvell's Prestera switch families to provide a comprehensive solution that is enabling the transition to the multi-Gigabit campus environment.
Marvell offers its industry-leading Prestera DX switches to complement the Alaska M 88E2180 device, enabling the most efficient high-density design for high port-count enterprise switches. From 8-port smart and managed switches for the small and midsized business (SMB) industry to 24- and 48-port enterprise access switches, the Prestera DX family offers a complete portfolio of 2.5/5 Gbps switch solutions.
For 802.11ac and 802.11ax WLAN access points, Marvell's ARMADA embedded processors integrated with the latest ARM-based technology can connect to a companion device of the Alaska M 88E2180 transceiver, the Alaska M 88E2110 transceiver, to deliver 2.5/5 Gbps bandwidth, meeting the demand for Wi-Fi network speeds beyond 1 Gbps and the move to 2.5/5GBASE-T.
The Alaska M 88E2180 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver is uniquely optimized for low-power consumption and design simplicity while delivering a small footprint and exceptional cable performance that exceeds IEEE requirements. These features are designed to help enterprise system vendors avoid the costly investment in engineering resources, greater board real estate utilization and high power budgets that come with alternative solutions.
While most vendors currently offer solutions leveraging 10 Gbps technology for 2.5/5 Gbps operation, resulting in an excessive power overhead, the new Marvell devices are specifically targeted at 5GBASE-T/ 2.5GBASE-T / 1000BASE-T / 100BASE-TX / 10BASE-Te Ethernet designs. The 88E21xx family also includes the Alaska M 88E2110 device, an optimized single-port five-speed multi-Gigabit PHY (supplied in a 7 x 11 mm FCBGA package).
Marvell's Alaska M 88E21xx family is highly suited for 802.11ax wireless access points, uplinks on enterprise switches and SFP+ media converters, as well as for emerging applications that can leverage Cat5e cabling such as small cell backhaul, PON residential gateways, high-end personal computers and workstations. These devices support the IEEE 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) standard, cutting down on power usage and energy costs.
