MicroTCA Will Give Telecom Equipment Market a Big Boost, New Report Finds

Emerging Standard Is Likely to Surpass ATCA in Lowering Components Costs for Telecom Equipment Vendors, According to Light Reading's Components Insider

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
May 10, 2006

Although formal approval of the MicroTCA specification is still pending, aggressive deployment plans by components manufacturers and telecom equipment manufacturers indicate that MicroTCA may ultimately deliver greater cost and time-to-market benefits than the AdvancedTCA technology on which it is based, according to the latest edition of Light Reading's Components Insider (http://www.lightreading.com/commchip), a new paid research service from Light Reading Inc. (http://www.lightreading.com/).

MicroTCA and AdvancedMC: Small Wonders details and analyzes the emerging MicroTCA and advanced mezzanine card (AMC) product sectors, pinpointing the potential advantages these technologies hold for telecom equipment manufacturers. The 21-page report surveys projected product availability and profiles more than a dozen suppliers expected to offer MicroTCA-based components and AMCs, including such major suppliers as Intel, Motorola, and RadiSys.

If formal ratification of MicroTCA occurs in June as is expected, products based on the new standard could be available to telecom equipment manufacturers in early 2007, notes Simon Stanley, Research Analyst for Light Reading's Components Insider and author of the report. "The development of the MicroTCA specifications has been relatively quick due to the reuse of many technologies from ATCA," Stanley explains. "This is also expected to accelerate the introduction of MicroTCA systems once the base specification is complete."

Because MicroTCA targets smaller, less expensive telecom equipment, it will probably be even more widely deployed than ATCA, Stanley continues: "As more telecom OEMs select MicroTCA as the platform of choice for smaller systems, it is likely that MicroTCA will turn out to be a more important platform than ATCA, from which much of the MicroTCA solution was derived."

Other key findings of MicroTCA and AdvancedMC: Small Wonders include the following:

  * Access and wireless are key applications for MicroTCA, with WiMax
    leading the way.

  * Military, medical, and industrial sectors are all likely to be
    significant markets for MicroTCA.

  * Key building blocks for access and wireless applications are now
    available in AMC modules.

  * More than 40 AMC modules have been announced by 12 vendors.

MicroTCA and AdvancedMC: Small Wonders is available as part of an annual subscription (6 issues) to Light Reading's Components Insider, priced at $1,295. Individual reports are available for $900.

Light Reading's Components Insider is a new paid research service that tracks, analyzes, and evaluates the key industry and technology developments that will have the biggest impact on the components sector -- and by extension the entire telecom supply chain -- in the months and years ahead. Along with competitive product and strategic analyses, Components Insider delivers essential information not available from any other source, including:

  * Full results of exclusive, worldwide surveys of comm chip buyers and
    sellers regarding spending and deployment plans for emerging products
    and technologies.

  * Up-to-the-minute details on chip supplier production plans, including
    the latest information on commercial availability of new products.

  * Independent and unbiased assessments of vendor market positions and
    strategies.

  * Advanced intelligence on product developments that will have a direct
    impact on future comm chip prices and demand.

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.lightreading.com/commchip.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details of multi-user licensing options, please contact:

  Jeff Claudino
  Sales Director, Insider Research Services
  619-229-9940
  claudino@lightreading.com

  Press/analyst contact:
  Dennis Mendyk
  Managing Director, Heavy Reading
  201-587-2154
  mendyk@heavyreading.com

  About Light Reading

Reaching a core audience of more than 917,000 enterprise IT managers and executives, Light Reading Inc. publishes http://www.lightreading.com/, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; http://www.byteandswitch.com/, a storage networking site; http://www.unstrung.com/, dedicated to wireless networking; and www.darkreading.com, an IT security site. Light Reading is also affiliated with http://www.heavyreading.com/, a market research site offering quantitative analysis of telecom technology to carriers, service providers, and vendors. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005, and operates as a unit of CMP Media LLC.

About CMP Media

Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare, and lifestyles industries, CMP (http://www.cmp.com/) has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight, and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

SOURCE: Light Reading

CONTACT: Jeff Claudino,Sales Director, Insider Research Services of
Light Reading, +1-619-229-9940, claudino@lightreading.com; or Dennis Mendyk,
Managing Director, of Heavy Reading, +1-201-587-2154, mendyk@heavyreading.com,
for Light Reading

Web site: http://www.lightreading.com/commchip
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