Intel has its sights set on the telecoms market, announcing carrier-grade server, network and application technologies and services at the Intel Developer Forum in Amsterdam today.
Intel expects to introduce two carrier-grade servers, based on the Pentium III processor. One will be a 1u dual processor line, and the second a 2u system. Intel says these systems will fulfil the needs of converged high-speed, high traffic telecommunications networks.
The Itanium - Intel`s 64-bit architecture - is also destined for the carrier market, along with the new 870 chipset. Infiniband, an open-standard switched fabric I/O architecture (an initiative primarily driven by Intel), is also expected to help push IA technology into this new frontier.
The Next Generation Network concept - the architecture backing Intel`s drive into the carrier market - includes a strong convergence focus, with media gateways and media servers (two new classes of product that can be expected from the Intel stables) ensuring device identification and content translation.
Intel`s line of product will sell primarily through the original equipment manufacturer and telecom equipment manufacturer channels.
Ericsson has developed its Telorb system for cellular location tracking based on IA-32 architecture, and plans to port the system to the Itanium when it is launched. Hewlett-Packard is also planning to build a carrier-grade server solution for converging data and voice networks.
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