Conexant buys Zarlink's Switching Business

Zarlink's packet switching product line includes a range of Fast Ethernet aggregation switches for network access equipment, and is complementary to Conexant's DSL central office (CO) product offering. "The acquisition of Zarlink's packet switching business allows us to further strengthen our DSL technology portfolio and market-leading presence in broadband access markets," said Akram Atallah, senior vice president and general manager of Conexant's Broadband Access business. "Zarlink's digital switching logic technology is synergistic with our DSL central office product offering, and provides for non-blocking VDSL line card performance. Integrating our respective technologies will enable us to build on our foundation in access markets, and provides us with the opportunity to expand the product line into adjacent areas." Zarlink's packet switch core engineering team has produced six generations of packet switches and management software over the past seven years and has 40 patents and patents-pending relevant to the business. Their team of digital switching logic engineers is now a part of Conexant's Broadband Access group, and will be based in the company's headquarters in Newport Beach in the US.