- Accelerating the launch of high-bandwidth indoor and outdoor wireless networks
- Targeting the rapidly growing small cell base station market
- The first compact cell Ethernet switch enabling integrated traffic management and deep packet buffering
- Minimize system cost and power consumption by integrating up to 4 components

March 9, 2012 – Broadcom, a global wired and wireless semiconductor company, today introduced a new family of switch solutions optimized to meet the demands for bandwidth, scalability, and efficiency in the rapidly growing small cell base station market. Based on Broadcom’s StrataXGS® architecture, the BCM56240 series is optimized for mobile backhaul and is the industry’s most integrated SoC, integrating the functions of four external components into a single chip.

Global IP traffic is driving the need for faster and more efficient mobile networks and is expected to grow 18-fold by 2016. Consequently, analysts forecast that the telecommunications Ethernet market will reach US$40.2 billion. As small cell operators compete to meet operators' demands for higher bandwidth in urban and rural outdoor networks, the small cell base station market is expected to reach approximately 1.6 million units by 2016. Urban networks are expected to require 40 times more capacity by 2016 to maintain the pace of peak demand.

Features optimized for mobile backhaul
The BCM56240 series is designed to address the economic and performance challenges faced by operators and service providers and provides a full range of the latest carrier-grade Ethernet innovations, including MPLS, OAM, time synchronization, protection switching, and Quality of Service (QoS). By combining these functions with a sufficient traffic management system and deep packet buffer, the BCM56240 is optimized for various system configurations and wireless media types required in the emerging small base station cell market and all microwave ODU (Outdoor Unit) fields.

Mobile backhaul solutions offer a complete spectrum
With this announcement, Broadcom plans to expand its industry-leading portfolio for mobile backhaul, which offers a complete line of end-to-end solutions. As operators strive to provide high-bandwidth mobile broadband, Broadcom can provide all the silicon necessary to address the diverse range of challenges faced in mobile backhaul.
• BCM56240 for small cell backhaul systems
• BCM56440 for Cell Site Routers and Microwave IDU (Indoor Unit) Systems
• BCM56540 for PTN (Packet Transport Network) systems
• BCM56640 for Carrier Ethernet Switch Systems

Industry Trends
• Global IP traffic is expected to grow 18-fold by 2016.
The Carrier Ethernet device market is expected to reach US$40.2 billion by 2015.
• The small cell base station market is expected to reach 1.6 million units by 2016.
• Urban networks are expected to require 40 times greater capacity by 2016.
• By 2013, an average of 19 percent of total mobile traffic is expected to be served by small cells (an increase from 7 percent in 2011)
Key Features
• Non-blocking architecture enables line-rate operation for all packet sizes
• Provides a hierarchical traffic management solution integrated with an off-chip packet buffer expansion option using DDR3 SDRAM
• Provides the latest Carrier Ethernet protocols such as MPLS/VPLS, MPLS-TP, PBB, PBB-TE, and QiQ
• Dedicated resources for hierarchical meters and counters compliant with service-specific MEF
• Provides low-power architecture and energy-efficient Ethernet™
• Broadcom’s integrated software Development kit

The BCM56240 series is currently being supplied as a sample, and mass production is scheduled for the second half of 2012.

Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst at Infonetics Research, said, “3G and 4G small cells are playing a major role in mobile operator plans to handle rapidly growing mobile traffic loads.” He added, “Operators are currently handling the majority of mobile traffic with macro cells. The operators surveyed plan to use small cells for 19 percent of their traffic indoors and outdoors in 2013. We look forward to seeing operators adopt Broadcom’s latest innovations that help transform small cell networks into high-broadband and stable networks.”

Eric Hayes, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Broadcom’s Network Switch business unit, said, “Broadcom is pleased to see overwhelming demand for mobile backhaul solutions, the industry’s most widely deployed portfolio. Rather than entering this market with a single product strategy, Broadcom is optimizing solutions for all form factors of mobile backhaul to provide customers with the specific configurations and features they desire, along with common architecture and software implementations. With the addition of the BCM56240 series, Broadcom is now able to provide a complete end-to-end solution for mobile backhaul.”