Gigle Networks Announces Availability of the First Powerline Solution Designed to Comply With the IEEE 1901 Draft Specification

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., BARCELONA, Spain and EDINBURGH, Scotland, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-Asia/ —

Gigle Networks ( http://giglenetworks.com/ ), the leading developer of intelligent multi-PHY switching devices for both wired and wireless entertainment-grade home networking, today announced that it is shipping the first powerline solution designed to comply with the IEEE 1901 Draft Standard published in January 2010. Gigle Networks’ GGL541 and GGL301 devices, which are certified HomePlug(R)AV compliant by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, now support IEEE 1901’s Inter System coexistence Protocol (ISP) through a simple firmware upgrade.

The IEEE 1901 Draft Standard is the first global standard for powerline communications and addresses applications such as multimedia home networking, video and audio distribution and smart grid/smart energy. The publication of the Draft Standard is expected to lead to the widespread incorporation of powerline communications network interface connections inside consumer electronics devices, connecting them together and enabling them to access the Internet without the need for a consumer to install any new wiring.

Gigle Networks’ family of multimedia home-networking solutions are designed to be fully software-upgradeable, enabling support for a variety of new and emerging capabilities as industry standards, home networking environments and user requirements evolve. The GGL541 and GGL301 devices are fully-integrated, low-cost single-chip networking solutions, designed to be embedded within consumer electronics appliances such as DTVs, set-top boxes, home gateways, gaming consoles, and Blu-ray players. They are the only powerline networking solutions operating from a single voltage supply and featuring dual MII ports allowing for efficient interfacing to additional network processors. Both devices also support Gigle Networks’ Xtendnet(TM) intelligent switching technology which amplifies and re-times signals on the powerline for improved network coverage. They do not require any external memory, an analog front-end or other complex support circuitry, and meet the active and standby power requirements for adapters of the Energy using Products Directive (EuP) Lot 6.

“For years the powerline communications industry has been characterized by several competing, incomplete and incompatible proprietary technologies,” said Juan Carlos Riveiro, president and chief executive officer of Gigle Networks. “This situation has kept the manufacturers of consumer electronics products from embracing powerline connectivity and embedding the technology, despite the clear benefits it provides for networking the digital home. OEMs can now proceed with plans to integrate, knowing that supply is assured by a global standard which follows in the footsteps of the successful 802.11 series of wireless standards, commonly known as WiFi(R). This is the first of many software upgrades that we plan to release for our family of intelligent multimedia home-networking solutions.”

“We view the introduction of an IEEE 1901 compliant solution as a positive event for the industry in general,” said Norm Bogen, vice president research with In-Stat. “For years, the industry has used a variety of technologies to try and advance a bona fide standard in home connectivity over powerline. Today, we are pleased to see the first steps toward this goal being taken by Gigle Networks, as the company offers IEEE 1901-compliant device solutions that leverage this new standard through a simple firmware upgrade.”

Gigle Networks is working with other industry leaders to expand the rigorous HomePlug(R)AV compliance and interoperability tests to encompass IEEE 1901 functionality.

Gigle Networks will be demonstrating its intelligent WiFi(R) and wireline multi-PHY switching technology at CeBIT 2010 in Hannover, Germany, March 2 – 6 in Booth #D20, Hall 13.

About Gigle Networks: Plug into the Fun

Gigle Networks provides System-on-Chip (SoC) integrated circuits and complete system solutions for multimedia home networking that can extend wired and wireless Ethernet everywhere in the home – without the need for new wires. Targeted for applications such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), broadband TV (BBTV), video on demand (VoD), and voice over IP (VoIP), Gigle Networks’ products offer superior performance, coverage and Quality of Service when compared to alternative communication technologies, and are designed to be easily integrated into consumer electronics and networked products. Gigle Networks is a strong supporter of open standards, a board member of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, and an active participant in the IEEE P1901 standards body and the ITU-T G.hn wireline standardization initiative. Gigle Networks has offices in Redwood City, Calif., Barcelona, Spain, and Edinburgh, UK.